Three arrests have been made following a number of reports of alleged fraud incidents involving older people across North Down, Belfast and Newtownabbey.
A woman, aged 52, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. Two men, aged 46 and 55, have each been arrested on suspicion of three counts of fraud by false representation and burglary. All three remain in custody at this time.
Detectives from PSNI’s Economic Crime Unit made the arrests.
On Monday 6 July, police received a report at 2:10pm that a woman in the Bangor area had been contacted by phone about 20 minutes earlier.
The caller claimed the woman had been a victim of a scam. The woman, aged in her 70s, was persuaded to withdraw cash from her bank and then leave it in her car for the man to check. A man then arrived at her property and took the money from her vehicle and said he would back, however, he never returned.
Police received a report yesterday (Friday 10 July) that a woman, aged in her 90s, had received a call from a man claiming to be from ‘a fraud team’.
The man persuaded the woman to leave her card outside her house in Newtownabbey so he could take a picture of it. The card was subsequently taken, but thanks to a neighbour who became aware of what had happened, the woman’s bank was contacted. It was reported that a sum of money had been taken from the woman’s account.
In another report made to police yesterday, a woman aged in her 80s was contacted by a man claiming to be from a telecoms provider. He said money had been taken from her account and he needed to check her card.
While no address details were passed to the caller, a short time later a man arrived at the woman’s address in the Four Winds area of Belfast and, after speaking with him, he pushed past her at the front door causing her to fall to the floor while he grabbed her card and bank details and then fled.
Detectives have since arrested three people in relation to these incidents.
Detective Inspector Joanne Harris said she wants to encourage people to take extra precautions to protect themselves and to never give out bank details.
“I also want to appeal to family members to do all they can to let their loved ones know, especially those who are older and vulnerable, to never give out their financial details without official verification from their bank.
“Tell them that if they’re at all suspicious about a call they receive, hang up and phone the organisation the person is purporting to represent to check their authenticity. Ideally, make the call from another telephone so you can be sure the original caller has not remained on the line. Never be pressured into a transaction over the phone.
“Scammers are creative and will do whatever they can to con people out of money. They don’t care who their victim is, they just want the money and will employ whatever tactic is necessary. Guarding your personal and banking details is essential. Never disclose them to any unauthorised person,” she said.
Anyone concerned they have been a victim of a scam either report the matter to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040. Police can be contacted on the non-emergency number 101.
For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.