Elderly Victims Lose £28.7 Million to Courier Scams
During a recent two-week police operation aimed at targeting scammers and protecting victims, it was found that 85% of victims were between the ages of 60 and 90, with the oldest victim being 94.
Last year, a total of £28,686,091 was lost to courier fraud, predominantly affecting elderly individuals, according to the police.
The most targeted age group for scammers were people in their 80s, accounting for 43% of incidents between April 2023 and March 2024, as reported by Action Fraud.
Courier scamming involves fraudsters impersonating police or bank officials over the phone to deceive victims into handing over money or valuables to couriers.
This heinous crime often results in significant psychological harm and financial loss to victims, particularly the elderly, according to Detective Sergeant Victoria O’Keefe from the City of London Police.
Oldest Victim 94
At the beginning of May 2024, the City of London Police conducted a two-week operation across England and Wales to combat courier crime and protect victims, resulting in 100 referrals and five arrests.
During the operation, financial losses amounted to £290,000, with one victim losing £56,000 in a single incident.
Most of the fraud cases involved scammers posing as police officers (70%) or bank officials (22%) to deceive their victims.
Similar to previous years, the majority of victims were elderly, with 85% of victims aged between 60 and 90 years old, with the oldest victim being 94.
It is advised to report any suspicious calls to the police immediately and protect elderly individuals with call blocking devices, as recommended by Ms. O’Keefe.
Criminal Number-Spoofing Software
Criminals have been using advanced technology to deceive victims into believing they are legitimate representatives from financial institutions or fraud departments.
Last year, a cyber criminal running a fraudulent website called iSpoof was convicted and sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison for enabling fraudsters to scam people out of millions by masking their telephone numbers and tricking victims into divulging sensitive information.
The software tools provided by iSpoof allowed fraudsters to impersonate trusted organizations and obtain confidential information from victims, ultimately leading to financial losses.
These criminals would exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, by using deceptive tactics to gain access to their accounts and steal their money.
Chris Summers contributed to this report.
