Man arrested after fake police officer steals £13,000 from elderly resident on Anglesey

A man has been arrested after an individual impersonating a police officer stole £13,000 from an elderly resident on Anglesey.

The “courier fraud” incident saw the victim hand over the large sum at an address in the Beaumaris area in early December.

Courier fraud occurs when a criminal phones victims asking them to co-operate in an investigation by going to their bank and withdrawing money to hand over to a courier for examination.

According to Action Fraud, at the time of handover, unsuspecting victims are promised the money will be reimbursed but in reality there is no further contact and it is never seen again.

On Tuesday, detectives from Bangor CID and the Metropolitan Police Service executed a search warrant at an address in Kingston Upon Thames.

A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and impersonating a police officer.

DC Gavin Jones of Bangor CID said: “The victim has shown tremendous courage in reporting the matter to the police.

“We are very grateful to Sgt Ben Hobbs and his proactive team at the Metropolitan Police for their brilliant support, resulting in this arrest.'”

The 57-year-old has been released on conditional police bail pending further enquiries

DCI Brian Kearney added: “Once again I would appeal to the public not to hand over or transfer money to anyone phoning or emailing you purporting to be from your bank or the police.

“There has been a significant rise in courier fraud nationally, with fraudsters often travelling hundreds of miles to collect large sums of money from victims.

“We will continue to target those who cause serious harm in our communities.

“Just as there are no borders for criminals, despite the challenges of the current pandemic, we are continuing to work with policing teams throughout the UK to target those who cause significant harm in our communities.”

For more advice on how to protect you and your loved ones from courier fraud, visit the Action Fraud website.