Officers are renewing their appeal for residents to remain vigilant after scammers have targeted elderly residents in Shaftesbury.
In the morning of Thursday 22 August 2019 an elderly woman received a phone call from a man purporting to be from NatWest. He told her that her bank cards were due for renewal and that someone would attend her home address in Shaftesbury on Tuesday 27 August 2019 to collect them.
The victim contacted her bank and was told that it was a scam.
On Saturday 24 August 2019 an elderly woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be from NatWest advising that there was a security risk on their account.
Later the same day, a woman arrived at her home address to collect the victim’s debit card. During this time, the scammer obtained the PIN number for the card from the woman and a quantity of cash was withdrawn from a cashpoint that afternoon.
A third report was received today, Tuesday 27 August 2019, at 1.57pm of a similar fraud offence. The victim received a phone call four days ago from someone purporting to be from Lloyds Bank and stated that they were going to issue new cards for them.
At 9am this morning, a man arrived at the address in the town centre to collect the card. The man is described as black, aged in his late 20s, approximately five feet nine inches tall and of medium build. He was wearing a black shirt, black trousers and a high-visibility jacket.
The victim handed over their bank cards to the man along with both the PIN numbers. A quantity of cash was withdrawn from both the accounts.
Inspector Phil Swanton, of Dorset Police, said: “A full investigation is underway into each of these incidents and I would urge anyone with any information to get in touch to help us catch these heartless criminals.
“I want to reiterate advice that we have issued previously. Please remember, the bank will never send someone to your home to collect your bank cards or ask for your PINs. If someone calls you claiming to be from your bank and you are unsure of their validity, we would urge you to ask for their name, hang up and contact your bank directly.
“Please share this advice with elderly family members and ensure they know what to do if they experience this type of scam.
“Finally, if you or someone you know has been contacted in similar circumstances, please contact Dorset Police.”
For more information, visit – https://www.dorset.police.uk/help-advice-crime-prevention/scams-fraud-cyber-crime/.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected], or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190134454. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
