Boots pharmacists in Cumbria are helping to spread the word about phone scams by placing fraud alert cards on their counters that offer advice and details of phone scams.

Police said scams often involve the fraudsters calling “vulnerable people, such as older members of the community” and pretending to be police officers, or people working at their bank.

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The scammers “may know a little bit about victims” but then are asked further questions to “fill the gaps”.

They then persuade them to “purchase jewellery or gold bullion and hand over these high value goods to someone on their doorstep”, often “by a courier”.

Police have also encouraged taxi drivers and businesses to warn “the public about criminals using phones to con people out of cash”.

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Taxis are also used by victims “to travel to banks, post offices or jewellers to withdraw cash or purchase jewellery” and also by the “criminal couriers themselves to collect cash or valuables”. 

Letters have been sent to “taxi drivers in the county to alert them to the fraud” and informative literature has been distributed to help drivers “engage their customers in conversation about the issue”.

Police Community Support Officers have been assigned to visit surgeries, opticians, jewellers, bureaux de change outlets and gold merchants” to help their staff “spot the signs” and “give warnings”.

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In the last year, residents lost “a total of more than £1,300 in these frauds last year in Cumbria”, with victims also “losing trust in people contacting them”.

Cumbria Police fraud specialist Fran Henderson said “we’re extremely grateful for the assistance provided by local taxi drivers, Boots, Wiltshire Farm Foods and everyone else who helps us - increasing awareness of this particular type of fraud is so very important”.  

“We also need the general public to help protect others by speaking to older relatives, neighbours and friends who may not see our warnings and emphasise to them the need to be suspicious of any unexpected calls,” she added.

Target the vulnerable

Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime commissioner David Allen said “these criminals target the most vulnerable in our communities so it’s really important that we look out for one another.

He also encouraged people to “read up on and speak to your older or more vulnerable family members and friends about the signs of a scam” so “we can better protect ourselves and each other”.

It comes after  a “pattern of fraud” was identified by Specialist security firm TIAA involving the “misuse” of paper FP10 prescriptions to fraudulently obtain weight loss jabs.

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Paper prescriptions are used because they can allow “reduced oversight, ease of forgery” and the “avoidance of secondary checks”.