Derbyshire Police have reported receiving several reports of courier frauds involving unaccounted for mobile phones, bank cards or other high value items being delivered to addresses in the county.
In some cases, victims have received parcels containing iPhones, which include a contract taken out in their name and address without their knowledge or consent. After the phone is delivered a second uniformed ‘courier’ arrives stating that the parcel has been delivered in error and needs to be returned.
A statement from Derbyshire Police said: "We know that an initial deposit is paid for the phone by fraudsters, and future payments are then attributed to the victim whose identity has been stolen. In other cases, victims have received a bank card which they haven’t ordered, or been notified of, from a bank they don’t have an account with. We believe there are likely to be other victims across the county and would encourage people to be vigilant."
Anyone receiving an unexpected package is being advised to NOT hand it over if a courier requests you to and to instead, check credentials and call the company that they represent, to check if they are legitimate and to call Police if they prove not to be as stated, and to then contact the retailer as soon as possible to arrange for the package to be sent back.
Police have also recommended that anyone targeted by the scam should contact their bank due to risks of accounts being compromised and being a victim of identity theft.
How to protect yourself against identity theft
If you want to protect yourself against identity fraud, Action Fraud recommends that you:
- Shred anything with your name, address or financial details before throwing it away.
- Do not reveal any security information - such as your password, login details or account numbers if you get an unsolicited email or call.
- Call your bank on an official number if you get an unsolicited call.
- Check your statements regularly and report any suspicious activity.
- Put your bills and financial details in a safe place out of view.
- Contact your bank if paper statements don’t arrive (if you’re expecting them).
- Redirect your post via Royal Mail, for a least a year, if you move property.
- Use a credit report checking service, to alert you to any key changes on your credit file.
- What to do if you have fallen victim to this scam
- If you think you, or someone you know has been a victim of online fraud:
- Let your bank know what’s happened immediately.
- Report the offence to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via their website.
Contact Police
If you need to seek further advice you can contact Police via one of the following methods:
- Facebook: send a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary
- Twitter: direct message the contact centre on @DerPolContact
- Website: complete the online contact form police.uk/Contact-Us.
- Phone: call the non-emergency number 101