Concern is mounting after eight people in south west Wales have lost £58,000 to ‘courier fraud’ criminals in the last week alone.

People posing as fake bank staff or police officers have been calling on residents and persuading them that their accounts have been compromised, then sending a courier to collect the money.

This tactic, known as ‘courier fraud’, is particularly prevalent in the Llanelli area.

“In the past week alone we’ve seen eight people lose a significant amount of money between them, and this can be very distressing," said DC Gareth Jordan from the Economic crime team. 

"As a result, we’re asking friends and family to look out for those people, particularly the elderly, who could be vulnerable.

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“Talk to them about this scam, advise them to be vigilant and report any suspicious calls.”

DC Jordan explained that neither the police nor banks will request people to withdraw money nor transfer it to a ‘safe’ account; neither will they send a member of staff to a person’s home to collect money.

“If someone claiming to be a police officer asks you to withdraw money for safe keeping or they’re investigating a bank staff, it’s a scam,"  continued DC Jordan.

“Neither the police nor bank staff will ever ask you to assist in an internal investigation and neither will they ask you to reveal your full banking password and PIN number.

"Never hand this information over. Don’t make life easy for the criminals.”

People are being urged to reject, refuse or ignore any requests and contact their bank immediately if they believe they’ve fallen victim to a scam.

Any suspicious emails should be reported to report@phishing.gov.uk Suspicious texts can also be reported by forwarding the original message to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keyboard.

Anyone who receives a similar call is asked to contact Dyfed-Powys Police either online: bit.ly/DPPContactOnline; by emailing: 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk or calling: 101

Anyone who thinks they've fallen victim to a scammer should report it by calling 101, or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. For further advice and information on how to avoid being scammed visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Always ring 999 if you feel there is an immediate threat to your safety.