Scammers pretending to be police officers dupe Chichester pensioners out of £20,500

Three pensioners in the Chichester area have been duped into handing over £20,500 to scammers pretending to be police.
PolicePolice
Police

A 90-year-old woman was called by a man claiming to be a police officer from Hammersmith investigating the use of counterfeit money.

She was asked to call 161, where a female accomplice said he was a genuine officer, and over two phone calls she was persuaded to withdraw £5,000 from her bank, which was later collected by courier.

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An 85-year-old woman received three calls in four days from a male purporting to be a detective, who said her PIN had been compromised.

She was coaxed into parting with £7,500.

And an 85-year-old woman was persuaded to hand over £8,000 along with her bank card.

The crimes were outlined in the Sussex Police September Fraud Newsletter, which added that police would never ask people to withdraw cash for officers to collect.

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