Another Scam in Southport

Another Scam in Southport

Once again an older person has been targeted in our locality.

A lady visited a local bank and asked the cashier to send a named Chinese import/export company 13,000 euro’s from her account. The cashier became suspicious and asked her the reason she was sending so much money. Her reply was that it was an investment and for the amount of money she was sending she would receive £75,000 in US dollars. The money had to be sent that day as there was a deadline to complete the transaction.

The bank staff were concerned and contacted the Police who attended immediately and spoke to the potential victim.

Further investigations by the Police found paperwork containing personal and financial details of the victim. The firm had sent her detailed correspondence about how her money would be invested and also paperwork to warn her not to contact a solicitor until the final payment had been cleared, and a signed disclosure statement not to tell anyone about the transactions.

The company told her that in China, before any business transaction goes ahead, she must contact the Chinese Consulate to confirm they were a legitimate company. She was given a telephone number to call.

Police investigations found that the address where the company was based was not a real location and the business did not exist. Further checks showed the company is a scam.

It is because of the professionalism of the Bank staff and the Police working together that on this occasion the scammers were not successful.

Crime Prevention Tips

Don’t believe the telephone contact details given. Put the telephone number into a search engine on your computer and check for yourself if it is a genuine number and not a phone number connected to the scammers.

Scammers are devious they are quick to realise if someone is falling into the trap they are setting and will either try to appear they are caring about their victim or threaten them with litigation if they are not compliant with their demands.

Always be wary of Cold Callers and remember if an offer sounds too good to be true it usually is.