Pensioner loses £12k in wheelie bin 'courier' scam

A woman in her 80s lost nearly £12,000 to an alleged scammer after leaving cash in a wheelie bin for a bogus courier to collect, police have said.

The woman, from Barnsley, received a call from a man claiming to be a police officer who said her debit card had been used fraudulently so she needed to withdraw money from her local bank so the serial numbers on the notes could be checked.

She was then told to leave the money, as well as a large quantity she had in her house, in an outside bin where a courier would collect it, said South Yorkshire Police. She ended up losing about £11,800.

The force said a 27-year-old man from Derby was arrested on 26 March on suspicion of fraud and forgery.

He has been bailed pending further inquiries after officers received reports of the scam on 25 March.

South Yorkshire Police stressed that no police officer or bank would ever call a person to verify their financial details and advised anyone receiving such a call to hang up immediately.

A force spokesperson said: "If you do get a call and need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes.

"Find a number for the bank you know and trust, from the back of your card or a statement.

"Fraudsters have been known to stay on the line after you hang up so when you ring your bank back you are connected back to the scammers.

They added: "Don't let a stranger take your bank card from you.

"You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank."

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