Scammers operating in Chichester Close/Bernwood Road area

Scammers operating in Chichester Close/Bernwood Road area

We received a report about a vulnerable resident in Bicester who received an unsolicited telephone call this morning from an unknown individual claiming that it was necessary to visit her home, in order to carry out an assessment of the loft for potential damp. The resident was asked several intrusive questions that would have indicated her ability to deter scam calls, including her age and whether or not she had Lasting Power of Attorney in place. She was then given a code number which she was told to present to two men who would be calling at the address later in the day to carry out the alleged inspection.

This clearly has all the indicators of an organised scam, with individuals making the telephone call sharing their findings with criminals operating in person, in this case to carry out a burglary or theft in a dwelling. There are some similarities with how courier fraud is carried out: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/courier-fraud/

Fortunately, in this particular case, the Bicester Town Neighbourhood Policing Team have been able to intervene to prevent a crime.

Please be aware that the initial scam caller stated that they were carrying out inspections in the CHICHESTER CLOSE and BERNWOOD ROAD areas of BICESTER. If you do receive a similar type of suspicious call, do not engage and end the call as quickly as possible.

If you think you may have accidentally disclosed information to a caller that could cause you to be targeted in crime (including identity theft), then please make an initial report to Report Fraud online at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud/, or by telephoning 0300 123 2040.