Courier fraud is when a scammer impersonates an authority, such as the police or a bank, and encourages their victim to hand over money, valuables or bank cards, which will be collected from them by couriers.
Last year fraudsters stole over £28.7m this way, and according to Action Fraud victims lost an average of £20,032, with 43% of victims aged in their 80s.
It’s important to remember that your bank or the police will never ask you to purchase valuable goods or hand over money to them. Which? explain how to avoid and report this type of fraud.
Courier scams
Source: Which? (28 May 2024)