MORE than £300,000 of potential fraud was prevented last month thanks to a scheme between banks and the police.
The Banking Protocol trains bank staff to spot when someone is about to fall victim to a scam and try and prevent them from withdrawing cash to give a fraudster, after which they can request an immediate police response to the branch.
In November, the protocol was activated 23 times in the Hampshire Constabulary area — stopping a total of £310,725 falling into the hands of fraudsters. The figure is said to be the highest monthly total of money stopped through the Banking Protocol in the force area this year.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Dring, of Hampshire Constabulary’s Volume Fraud Investigation Team, said: “This is the highest monthly total we have seen in 2019 and I would like to thank bank staff for their vigilance.
“It is very important that bank staff can recognise the signs that someone may be the victim of a scam and call us. Often the victims do not know they are being scammed so these interventions are vital.
“As well as banking staff, we can all do our bit to protect people from fraudsters by being aware of common scams and telling those who may be more vulnerable.
“Banks, the HMRC, police or any other authority figures will never contact you by telephone and ask you for bank details or ask you to transfer money. If someone calls you in this way, it is a scam. Hang up, and use a different phone line to call 101 and report it immediately.”
On November 11, police received a report of a 82-year-old woman from New Milton being called by someone claiming to be from the ‘Visa Fraud Department’.The caller asked her to go to her bank and transfer £4,000 into another account for safeguarding. When the woman went to her bank, staff suspected it might be a scam and it was reported to the police and no money was lost.
Hampshire Constabulary was one of the first forces in the UK to use the scheme in June 2017.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article