Community safety

Confidence Trickster Warning - May 2014

The Neighbourhood Watch Manager at Mitcham Police Station warns us: 

"It came to our attention that there appears to be a team of people around the borough approaching vulnerable people in the street with an elaborate story which results in the victim being taken home to collect their bank card and passport and being brought to the bank to make a withdrawal of thousands of pounds (in the case of our complainant £15,000).

The elaborate story in this reported case started with being asked for help to find a solicitors urgently, to the perpetrator winning the lottery and needing help to cash it. The victim went along with a request to go to the victim’s home in a taxi, collect her bank card and passport and head to her bank, so that the victim could signal for help in the bank as she couldn’t think of another way to shake the perpetrators off. The bank read the victim’s signal, refused to hand over the £15,000 and called the Police, but unfortunately the scammers got away before the Police arrived. 

Apparently there have been a few incidents like this across the borough."