The police have issued a strong warning to the Indian community in Northamptonshire about a recent spike in courier fraud cases after a family suffered a major financial loss.
According to the Northamptonshire police, a scammer posing as an Indian police officer contacted the victims, alleging they were implicated in a money laundering operation.
They were coerced into transferring large funds to several bank accounts and handing over £10,000 in cash to a courier, under the threat of deportation and imprisonment.
Authorities have emphasized that both law enforcement officials and banking institutions will never request money over the phone.
Initially, the suspects contacted the victims by phone, and then followed up with a video call of an individual in police uniform. Over the subsequent two months, the family received persistent calls demanding more money.
Northamptonshire Police noted that this is the first incident of this particular form of courier fraud reported in the area.
Sarah Major, from the economic crime unit, explained: “The victims were genuinely convinced they were dealing with the actual Indian police, who manipulated them into fearing for their or their relatives’ safety if they didn’t comply.”
“The distress it caused was immense; one victim was so frightened that their family would end up in prison it took them two months to confide in anyone about what was happening.”
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