Alert following recent fraud delivery scams in Derbyshire

Residents have reported having packages addressed to them delivered to their door, but when they opened them up, they found they have been mobile phones with contracts set up in their names.

There are two kinds of incidents we usually see linked to this which we would like to warn the public about:

1: The victim receives a scam call claiming to be their mobile network provider, with an offer of a deal to upgrade. When this is complete, the scammer gains enough information to apply for a mobile phone contract in the victim’s name. The victim will then receive a phone, but it won’t be the one they think they ordered.

2: The victim’s personal information has been gathered by the scammers without their knowledge, and a mobile phone with a contract in their name will be delivered to them by a genuine company out of the blue.

In both situations, another so-called delivery driver will attend claiming there has been some kind of mistake and that they are collecting the item to return it.

Once the phone is handed over, it is taken for the scammers to use, leaving the victim with debt.

The most recent report came from the North East Derbyshire area earlier this week, where the suspects have claimed they are from the delivery service DPD and officers are carrying out enquiries.

Our advice to help protect yourself from this scam is:

• If you receive a call out of the blue offering a good deal or refund, do not provide personal or banking information. Contact your network provider on a trusted number.
• If you receive a mobile phone you didn’t order, contact the network provider on a trusted number and request any contract is cancelled. Ensure the address you return to is legitimate.
• Register with a credit monitoring application so you can keep an eye on your credit score and any searches made.
• Ensure personal documents such as bank statements are not left lying around and are shredded before throwing away.

PC Louise Rodger, Fraud Protect Officer, said: "This is a type of delivery scam but also identity theft where offenders use details to set up mobile phone contracts and commit fraud, ultimately leaving victims out of pocket.

“If you receive an unexpected expensive item such as a mobile phone, contact the retailer or network provider immediately using a trusted number. Request any contracts are cancelled and arrange for the item to be sent back in pre-arranged terms and to an address you can be sure is legitimate.”

PC Rodger added: "Identity theft is also a concern in these types of reports, so if you spot any suspicious activity on your account report it to your bank immediately.

“If you think you have been a victim of this type of crime, you should report to Action Fraud and to the police as soon as possible, and please share this information with family and friends so that we can help protect them from falling a victim.”

We have recently released the first in a series of videos helping push the message of people needing to be on their guard against scammers – with a little help of a pink sock puppet named Claude.

If you haven’t yet seen Claude, you can watch the video below, or find out more about our campaign here: Pink puppet pops up with fraud tips to help ‘Sock It To The Scammers’ | Derbyshire Constabulary

If you think you might have been a victim of courier fraud, a scam, fraud or online crime (cybercrime) you can report it by contacting us on the details below, or to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre, online at www.actionfraud.police.uk, or on 0300 123 2040:

• Website – We have crime reporting tools on our website: use our online contact form
• Facebook – send us private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
• Phone – call us on 101

You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website