Officers are issuing refreshed advice to Cheshire residents as they continue to see a rise in the number of courier frauds across the county.

Courier fraud is where a victim is contacted by fraudsters who pretend to be police officers or bank officials. This can be over the phone or in person.

The victims are then told to withdraw or hand over cash or valuable items, to purchase EUROs or provide bank cards or pin numbers. These can then be collected from their home address or at another meeting place by a courier.

Officers in Cheshire have seen an increase in this type of fraud offence and are reminding people that police officers would never ask anyone for money or to hand over valuable items – as a result of a fraud 'they are investigating', to help with 'an ongoing investigation', or any other reason.

Detective Inspector Ross Hamilton said: "It is important to note that the fraudsters can be extremely convincing. They are persistent and often target elderly or vulnerable people.

"Many people may think they would never be a victim to this kind of crime, however this really can happen to anyone. We react very differently when under stress and these criminals are very sophisticated and use a whole host of tactics to persuade people to follow their instructions.

"Please remember that police officers and bank officials will never ask you to withdraw money, purchase goods, hand over valuable items or disclose private banking details, for any reason.

"Help us to raise awareness by sharing this with your friends and family, especially if they are vulnerable or elderly."

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If you believe that you have been a victim of courier fraud, please contact Cheshire Police on 101, using a different phone to the one used to communicate with the fraudsters. You can also report information to us via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.

You can report to Action Fraud via actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Call 999 immediately in an emergency or if you suspect a fraud is currently in progress. Do not wait to report the fraud to police. The quicker police are told, the more likely officers can identify those responsible.

Crime prevention advice issued by the police include: 

• Be sceptical of unexpected calls, texts or visits, even from those who claim to be officials.
• Don't be afraid to stop the conversation with a brief 'no, thank you'.
• Never give personal information, such as your date of birth or bank details, to unexpected callers.
• Remember, criminals will use urgency or threats to cause panic and fear. When you are under stress you are less likely to think clearly about your actions.
• The police or your bank would never unexpectedly ask you to withdraw cash, hand over valuables, or move your money to another account, as a result of fraud or any other reason.
• If callers suggest you call your local police or bank to check who they are, use another phone or hang up and ensure the line has been fully disconnected by phoning a friend or relative first, or by waiting at least five minutes. Otherwise, you may think you've phoned a number, but you're simply talking to the fraudsters again. This is a common tactic used by fraudsters.
• If a caller asks you to type your bank PIN number into your telephone handset - do not do this, as fraudsters can use technology to identify the numbers.
• You can opt out of many cold calls by registering for free with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707.

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