Two suspected fraudsters arrested after cross-border strikes

Two men, 21 and 25, got a very early wake-up call from police today (Thursday) as part of co-ordinated warrants following a courier fraud.

The sting was led by officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), supported by the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).

The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of Conspiracy to Defraud and Money Laundering after warrants were executed in Huddersfield and Manchester.

Searches of the properties resulted in the seizure of mobile phone devices, a Rolex watch and two large knives.

Those arrested currently remain in police custody.

NEROCU Detective Sergeant James Woodcock, part of NEROCU’s Proactive Economic Crime Team, said: “This partnership activity clearly demonstrates the resources at our disposal within the ROCU network to tackle all forms of Serious and Organised Crime.

“I want to thank everyone who worked on these strikes to ensure these two suspects were detained, a fantastic collaborative effort and work that will continue under the banner of Operation Sentinel – our regional approach to disrupting and tackling all forms of Serious and Organised Crime."

Courier fraud is a deceptive scam where fraudsters impersonate authority figures, such as police officers or bank officials, to scam and manipulate victims into handing over money or other valuables.

In this case those responsible contacted the victim by telephone claiming to be from their bank’s fraud department. They claimed her card had been used fraudulently and it needed to be collected by the bank. The victim’s card was then used by the fraudsters to make numerous transactions.

NEROCU Detective Constable Sophie Snowdon added: “Remember neither police or bank officials will ever ask you to transfer money, send cash or valuable items for inspection or otherwise. They will never pressure you or rush you and will always support you hanging up and calling from a trusted number from website or bank statement to fact check what they are saying.”

Anyone who has any information about criminal activity, can report it to their local police or via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.