What is courier fraud
Courier fraud is one of the most targeted scams in the UK. You get a phone call from someone claiming to be from your bank's fraud department or from the police. They tell you there's a problem with your bank account, that your card has been cloned, or that they're running an investigation and need your help. Then they tell you to hand your bank card and PIN to a courier who will come to your door.
The courier turns up, takes the card, and within minutes the criminals are draining your account at cash machines or buying expensive goods in shops. In some cases they'll also talk you into withdrawing large sums of cash or buying gold, jewellery, or foreign currency and handing it all over. According to City of London Police, more than £21 million was lost to courier fraud in the UK in the year to March 2025 alone. The year before that, the figure was £28.7 million. This is not a small problem.
How the scam works
Courier fraud follows a set pattern. The details might change from call to call, but the structure is always the same: build trust, create panic, collect the goods.
1. The phone call
You get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank's fraud team, from the police, or sometimes from the National Crime Agency. They'll often spoof the phone number so it looks genuine on your screen. Some will ask you to check the number against the one on your bank's website or on the back of your card, knowing full well that it will match because they've faked it.
The landline trick
If you're called on a landline, the scammer may suggest you hang up and ring your bank directly to verify the call. But they don't actually disconnect. They stay on the line. When you pick up the phone and dial, you think you're ringing your bank, but the original call is still connected and the same criminal is still there. Always use a different phone to call back, or wait at least five minutes.
2. The story
They'll spin one of a few standard stories. Your card has been used fraudulently. A corrupt member of staff at your bank branch is stealing from accounts. The police need you to withdraw money as part of an undercover operation. Every version has the same ingredients: something alarming, a sense that you need to act quickly, and a reason to keep the whole thing confidential.
Secrecy is the biggest red flag
They will almost always tell you not to mention the call to anyone. Not to your family. Not to staff at your local branch. They'll say the investigation could be compromised. This is not how real investigations work. The police would never ask a member of the public to keep a criminal investigation secret from their own family. They say this because the moment you tell someone else, the scam collapses.
3. They get your PIN
Before anyone turns up at your door, they need your PIN. They'll ask you to type it into your phone keypad "for security" or tell you to put the card into your chip and PIN reader and enter the number. Some will say they need to "cancel" the card remotely and need the PIN to do it. Once they have your PIN and your card, they have everything they need.
Your bank will never ask for your PIN
No bank in the UK will ever ask for your full PIN over the phone. Not their call centre. Not their fraud team. Nobody. Your PIN is yours and nobody at your bank needs it for any reason whatsoever.
4. The collection
A courier, taxi driver, or sometimes just a young person on foot turns up at your door. They collect your card, cash, or whatever the caller told you to hand over. The person at the door is sometimes a knowing accomplice, but in some cases they're an unwitting delivery driver who was just told to pick up an envelope. Either way, once the card leaves your hands, the criminals move fast.
According to the Metropolitan Police, their targeted operation against courier fraud gangs in 2025 uncovered organised crime networks using collected cards to buy expensive goods at shops across London. In just two months, officers arrested 18 people and seized more than £250,000 in cash alongside hundreds of stolen bank cards.
What the call sounds like
These callers are good at their jobs. They don't stumble over their words and they don't sound like amateurs. But the scripts they use follow a pattern that you can spot once you know what to listen for.
"Cloned card"
They say your bank card has been cloned and used to make purchases. They need to collect the "compromised" card and send you a new one. They'll ask you to put it in an envelope with your PIN written down so the bank can "verify" it.
"Your Barclays debit card has been used to make three purchases in Manchester this morning. We need to collect the card immediately to stop further transactions."
"Police investigation"
Someone claiming to be a police officer tells you a member of staff at your bank branch is under investigation for stealing from customer accounts. They need you to withdraw a large amount of cash to use as "evidence" and hand it to an officer who will call round.
"This is Detective Inspector Williams from the Metropolitan Police fraud unit. We've arrested an individual at your bank branch. We need your help to gather evidence. This is confidential."
"Counterfeit notes"
A caller posing as a police officer says counterfeit banknotes have been traced to your bank branch. They ask you to go in, withdraw a large amount of cash, and hand it over so the serial numbers can be checked. The cash goes straight into the pockets of the criminals.
"We've traced a batch of counterfeit £50 notes to your NatWest branch. We need you to withdraw £5,000 so we can test the notes. An officer will collect them from your home."
"Buy gold"
They tell you to go to a jeweller or bullion dealer and buy gold or expensive watches, then hand the items to a courier. They say this is part of a sting operation and the items will be returned. They won't be.
"We need you to purchase gold coins worth £10,000 from a dealer in town. A courier will collect them from you. This is part of an active operation and you'll have them back within 48 hours."
Who gets targeted
Courier fraud overwhelmingly targets older people. Action Fraud data shows that 80% of victims are over 65, and people in their 80s make up 43% of all cases. The criminals deliberately seek out elderly people living alone because they're more likely to trust an authority figure on the phone and less likely to have someone nearby to check with.
That doesn't mean younger people are safe. The scripts are polished and the callers are trained. But the targeting is clear, and that's why this scam is so vicious. These are often people with a lifetime's savings sitting in one account, and a single phone call can wipe it out.
Why it works on older people
- • Greater trust in authority figures like police and banks
- • More likely to answer the landline to unknown numbers
- • Less familiar with phone number spoofing technology
- • Often living alone with nobody to check with
- • Larger savings balances in a single current account
What you can do to protect family
- • Talk to older relatives about this scam specifically
- • Set up a trusted contact on their bank account
- • Agree a family code word for urgent phone situations
- • Suggest they never hand anything to someone at the door
- • Ask their bank about transaction limits and alerts
What the police and your bank will never do
Every police force and major bank in the UK has confirmed the same thing. They will never do any of the following. Full stop.
Send a courier or officer to your home to collect bank cards
Ask for your PIN over the phone or at your front door
Ask you to withdraw cash as part of an investigation
Tell you to buy gold, jewellery, or foreign currency for them
Ask you to keep a phone call secret from your family
Ask you to lie to branch staff about why you are withdrawing money
Ask you to post cash or valuables to any address
Ring you and tell you to transfer money to a "safe account"
If you get one of these calls
Hang up
It doesn't matter how official they sound. It doesn't matter what number appeared on your phone. Hang up. If the caller tries to stop you from ending the call, that alone tells you everything you need to know.
Wait and use a different phone
If you were called on a landline, the caller can hold the line open after you hang up. Wait at least five minutes before using the same phone, or better still, use your mobile. If they called your mobile, you can ring back straight away on a different number.
Call your bank yourself
Ring the number on the back of your debit card or dial 159, the Stop Scams UK number. This connects you directly to your bank's real fraud department. Tell them what happened and they will check your account.
159 is supported by most major UK banks and exists precisely for situations like this. It's the number you can trust when you're not sure whether a call was genuine.
Tell someone
These scams rely on isolation. Tell a partner, family member, neighbour, or friend. Saying it out loud makes the red flags obvious in a way that they were not while you were on the phone.
Report it
Even if you did not hand anything over, reporting the call helps police build a picture of active courier fraud operations and gets numbers blocked.
Already handed over your card or cash?
Act now. The quicker you move, the better your chances of stopping the criminals spending your money.
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1
Ring your bank immediately
Call the number on a statement or letter from your bank, or dial 159. Tell them your card has been taken and you need it cancelled right now. They can freeze your account and block any transactions the criminals try to make. Most banks have fraud lines open around the clock.
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2
Call 101 to report the crime
Ring the police non emergency line on 101. If the courier is still on the way or has only just left, ring 999 because there's a chance they can be intercepted. Give the police as much detail as you can about the caller and the person who came to your door.
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3
Report to Report Fraud
Call 0300 123 2040 or go to reporting.actionfraud.police.uk. You will get a crime reference number. Keep this safe because you will need it for any reimbursement claim with your bank.
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4
Ask about reimbursement
Under the Payment Systems Regulator's rules on authorised push payment fraud, your bank may be required to reimburse you. If they refuse or you're not happy with the outcome, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge. UK Finance data shows that banks reimbursed £354 million to APP fraud victims in 2025, covering 61% of total losses.
The short version
Red flags
- • Someone phones claiming to be your bank or the police
- • They ask for your PIN over the phone
- • They say a courier will come to collect your card
- • They tell you to withdraw cash or buy valuables
- • They insist you keep the call confidential
What to do
- • Hang up without hesitation
- • Wait five minutes, then use a different phone
- • Dial 159 to reach your bank's real fraud team
- • Never hand your card to anyone at your door
- • Tell a family member or friend what happened