Two jailed over courier fraud

Mohammed Ul-Islam, 20, of no fixed address, and Shaman Miah, 21, of Charlton Street, London, pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court on Monday last week to conspiracy to defraud in more than 75 cases across Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire and London between July and August last year.

The scam involves cold-calling victims and then convincing them to hand over large amounts of cash to couriers who then turn up on their doorstep.

Detective Constable Clare Long, said: “There have been many instances recently across Bedfordshire where people have been convinced to hand over their savings leaving them feeling distraught and angry that they have been conned.

“This result comes after extensive work by our investigative team, piecing together several small clues, and by working with other forces to bring these offenders to justice.”

This fraud is being used nationally and is known as the “courier” scam. There are many variations but usually follows this pattern:

> A fraudster cold calls you on a landline, claiming to be from your bank or the police. The “bank” or “police” say their systems have detected a fraudulent payment on your account, or that your card is due to expire and needs to be replaced.

> To reassure they are genuine, they suggest that you hang up and call your bank or the police back straight away. However, because they don’t disconnect their call from your landline when you dial the genuine phone number for your bank or the police, you are actually still speaking to the fraudster.

>They send a courier to you to physically collect your bank card, or the cash that you will be withdrawing from the compromised accounts.

Anyone with information relating to this fraud can contact DC Clare Long, in confidence, at Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.