Over 70s targeted as courier fraud exceeds £21 million in 2025, with London and Home Counties hit hardest
City of London Police are issuing a renewed warning to the public as courier fraud continues to evolve across the UK, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated and persistent tactics that are driving significant financial harm to victims.
What is Courier Fraud?
You might receive a call from someone claiming to be a police officer or from your bank. They may know basic details about you, such as your name and address, to gain your trust.
Once they have your trust, the criminals might claim:
1,There’s been a fraudulent payment on your card, or it needs replacing due to expiration.
2, An investigation requires you to withdraw money and hand it over to a courier or police officer, promising it will be returned later.
3,You need to buy expensive items to hand over to a courier for inspection.
4,Money has been taken from your account by corrupt bank staff, and you need to withdraw funds for evidence.
5,A business like a jeweller or currency exchange is operating fraudulently, and you’re needed to help gather evidence
How to spot the signs of courier fraud
Courier fraud typically begins with an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer or bank employee. Victims are told their account is at risk or that they are assisting with an investigation, before being instructed to withdraw money, purchase items, or disclose sensitive information. A courier is then sent to collect the items such as jewellery, cash, bank cards, and PINs. In reality, this is the work of criminals, and anything handed over is lost.
How to protect yourself from courier fraud:
Transferring money: Your bank or the police will never ask you to transfer money to a safe account.
Couriers: Your bank or the police will never send a courier to your home to collect bank cards, cash, or other valuables such as jewellery.
Check if it’s genuine: Contact the organisation directly using contact details you know are correct, such as those on official websites, the back of your card or by calling 159 for your bank.
Caller ID: Don’t trust the Caller ID display on your phone – it’s not proof of ID.
Report suspicious calls: You can report suspected scam calls by sending a text to 7726 with the word ‘Call’ followed by the caller’s number.
If you think you have been a victim of fraud, contact Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the reporting hub.
If a courier is on route to or outside your property. Call 999 immediately. Fraudsters may send a “courier” to your home to collect your bank card, money, or personal documents. This is a crime in progress, and do not open the door or hand anything over.
This message is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential or legally protected information. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, return the message, and permanently delete it and any copies. Do not use, copy, disseminate or disclose the information contained in this message or any attachments without explicit permission from the sender. Wiltshire Police have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that any attachment to this email has been checked for viruses, but cannot accept liability for any damage sustained as a result of software viruses or security issues. You should ensure that any attachments are virus free before opening them. Internet email is not secure, and Wiltshire Police does not accept legal responsibility for the contents or distribution of this message, including attachments. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Wiltshire Police. Only specified personnel are authorised to conclude binding agreements on behalf of Wiltshire Police by email, and no responsibility is accepted for unauthorised agreements reached with other personnel. Wiltshire Police – Working to make our communities feel safe and be safe.