The Police Officer Who Sends a Courier

The simulator

1. Step 1 of 7 First contact

   A man says he’s a police detective. He sounds serious, polite and a little rushed.

   Home phone

   Caller ID: (212) 555-0164

   1. Caller: “Good morning. This is Detective Sergeant Paul Carter from the police fraud squad. Am I speaking with the homeowner at 22 Linden Road?”
   2. Caller: “We arrested two men this morning with a copy of your bank card. We believe they got your details from someone who works at your bank branch, and we’re now investigating that branch.”
   3. Caller: “I need your help with the investigation. Please don’t discuss this with anyone at the bank.”

   Read this aloud

   What do you do?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Would a real detective phone you out of the blue and ask you to help with an investigation?

   1. Offer to help. If someone at my bank is stealing from customers, I want them caught.

      Risky choice

      That’s a kind and natural response, and the scammers rely on it. There is no investigation. Agreeing to help lets them give you tasks that end with your cash or your card in their hands.

   2. Ask for his name and badge number so I can check him out later.

      Better, but not the safest

      Better than going along, but he’ll give you any name and number you ask for. He’s also likely to suggest you check right now, in a way he controls. It’s safer to hang up and check on your own terms.

   3. Hang up, then check my card is safe by calling my bank from a different phone.

      Safe choice

      That’s the safe move. A real officer wouldn’t mind at all. Using a different phone matters too, as the next step shows.

   Red flags at this step

   • A police officer calling you out of the blue
   • Being asked to help with an investigation
   • “Don’t talk to anyone at your bank”

   What's really going on

   Police don’t ask members of the public to help catch criminals by handing over money or cards. The story that someone at your branch is involved has one purpose: to stop you listening to the bank staff who could warn you. In the UK this is called courier fraud. In the US it’s often the last part of a longer scam, where a “federal agent” says your savings aren’t safe and must be turned into cash or gold.

2. Step 2 of 7 Winning your trust

   Many people are unsure at this point, and the detective seems to expect it. He offers a way to check.

   Home phone

   Caller ID: (212) 555-0164

   1. Caller: “I understand you’ll want to be sure. That’s very sensible. Please hang up now and call the police on the emergency number, or call your bank on the number on the back of your card. Ask for me by name.”
   2. Caller: “Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

   Read this aloud

   How do you check?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   When you put down a landline, is the call always really over?

   1. Hang up and call the number on the back of my card straight away, on the same phone.

      Risky choice

      It feels like the perfect check, but the scammer can keep a landline call open by staying on the line at their end. When you dial, you don’t reach your bank. You’re still connected to the scammers, and a second person pretends to answer.

   2. He offered to be checked, so he must be genuine. I’ll carry on.

      Risky choice

      Offering a check is part of the script. He’s confident because most people call back on the same line, and reach his accomplice.

   3. Call the number on my card from a different phone, such as my mobile or a neighbor’s. If I only have the landline, wait several minutes and listen for a dial tone first.

      Safe choice

      Exactly right. A different phone makes a completely new call, so no one can be waiting on the line. If you only have the landline, waiting and checking for a normal dial tone makes sure the old call has really ended.

   Red flags at this step

   • A caller who invites you to “check” by calling right now
   • Being told to call back straight away while he waits

   What's really going on

   West Mercia Police in England describe the trick: “The caller will tell their victim to call 999 or 101 to confirm the details to police, except they stay on the phone so when they pick up again… they instead speak to another person pretending to be an officer.” The same trick is used with bank numbers. In the UK you can call 159 to reach your bank safely, but still use a different phone, or wait before dialing.

3. Step 3 of 7 Winning your trust

   Suppose you put the phone down, pick it up again and dial your bank straight away. Someone answers after one ring.

   Outgoing call from your landline

   Caller ID: Calling the number on your card

   1. Voice: “Fraud department, how can I help?”
   2. You: “A Detective Sergeant Carter says my card has been copied.”
   3. Voice: “Yes, we’re working with Sergeant Carter on that case. Please do exactly as he asks, and don’t mention it at your branch. I’ll put him back on now.”

   You didn’t hear a dial tone before you started dialing.

   Read this aloud

   The "bank" backs up his story. What do you do?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Think about how fast they answered, and whether you heard a dial tone.

   1. Now I’m sure it’s real. The bank has confirmed it.

      Risky choice

      This is the moment that convinces most people, and it’s all staged. You never reached your bank. The “bank” voice is another member of the gang, on the same open line.

   2. Hang up. Something isn’t right. Call the bank again from my mobile or a neighbor’s phone.

      Safe choice

      Good instinct. On a fresh line from a different phone, your real bank will check your card and tell you the truth. Real banks don’t ask you to keep secrets from your own branch.

   Red flags at this step

   • No dial tone before you dialed
   • The “bank” answers at once and already knows the whole story
   • Being told again not to talk to your branch

   What's really going on

   People rightly trust the number on the back of their card, so criminals use this trick. The number is fine. The problem is the line. The scammer never hung up, so the number you dialed went nowhere, and the gang carried on the conversation with a new voice.

4. Step 4 of 7 The ask

   If someone believes the story, the detective comes back on the line and explains how they can help.

   Home phone

   Caller ID: (212) 555-0164

   1. Caller: “Thank you. We need evidence against the staff at your branch. Please go in today and take out $6,000 in cash. We’ll check the notes for forgeries and return them to you.”
   2. Caller: “Or, if it’s easier, put your bank card in an envelope with your PIN written inside, and seal it. We need it as evidence.”
   3. Caller: “A plain-clothes officer will collect it from your home this afternoon.”

   Read this aloud

   What do you do?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Would the police ever need your cash, your card or your PIN?

   1. Put my card and PIN in an envelope. It’s easier than going to the bank, and it’s for the police.

      Risky choice

      With your card and PIN, the criminals can take money from cash machines and spend in shops straight away. The UK bank TSB puts it plainly: “Neither a bank, nor the Police will ever request that you post or handover your card, or cash.”

   2. Go to the bank and take out the cash to help the investigation.

      Risky choice

      The cash goes to the criminals, and it’s very hard to trace. “Checking the notes for forgeries” is invented to make a cash withdrawal sound like police work.

   3. Refuse. The police and my bank would never ask for my card, my PIN or my cash. I hang up and call the police from a different phone.

      Safe choice

      That’s exactly right. No police force or bank collects cards, PINs or cash from your home. Reporting the call helps police catch the people behind it.

   Red flags at this step

   • Being asked to take out cash “to check for forgeries”
   • Being asked for your card and PIN “as evidence”
   • Someone coming to your home to collect

   What's really going on

   The task changes from country to country. In the UK it’s often cash, jewelry, or your card and PIN handed to a courier. In Canada, police have warned of rideshare drivers sent to collect bank cards. New Zealand Police warn of callers who “instruct them to place their bank card in their letterbox.” In the US, victims are often told to turn their savings into cash or gold bars. Whatever the story, the courier works for the scammers.

5. Step 5 of 7 The ask

   Suppose you do go to the bank. Before you leave, the detective says: “When they ask what it’s for, say it’s for home repairs. Remember, one of them may be involved.”

   At the bank counter. The teller reads your withdrawal slip for $6,000, then looks up at you kindly.

   1. Teller: “That’s quite a lot of cash. Do you mind me asking what it’s for? Some of our customers have been getting scam calls lately.”

   The detective told you: “Say it’s for home repairs.”

   Read this aloud

   What do you tell the teller?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Who in this story is actually trying to protect you?

   1. Say it’s for home repairs, as the detective said.

      Risky choice

      The cover story is there to get you past the one person who could stop the scam. Tellers are trained to spot this, and the truth would let them help you.

   2. Say it’s a private matter, and ask them to just give me the money.

      Risky choice

      It’s your money and you have every right to it. But keeping the reason private stops the teller from helping at the very moment help is close by.

   3. Tell the teller everything about the call.

      Safe choice

      That’s the best thing you can do. Bank staff are trained to spot this scam. They can check your card, pause the withdrawal and help you call the police. There is no investigation for you to spoil.

   Red flags at this step

   • Being given a cover story for the bank
   • Being told bank staff can’t be trusted

   What's really going on

   Being coached on what to say to bank staff is one of the clearest signs of a scam. The story that someone at the branch is corrupt was set up for exactly this moment, so that you’d keep quiet in front of the people best placed to help.

6. Step 6 of 7 The ask

   That afternoon, the doorbell rings. Whatever you decided earlier, this is how the collection looks.

   A young man in a dark jacket stands on the doorstep. A car is waiting at the curb with its engine running.

   1. Man: “Afternoon. I’m here for Detective Sergeant Carter. The password is bluebell.”
   2. Man: “I just need the envelope, and I’ll be on my way. It’ll be back with you in a few days.”

   Read this aloud

   What do you do?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Does knowing a password make someone a police officer?

   1. He knows the password, so I hand over the envelope.

      Risky choice

      The password only proves he’s working with the caller. Once the envelope leaves your hands, your card or cash is gone, and a card is usually used straight away.

   2. Ask to see his police ID first, then hand it over if it looks right.

      Risky choice

      An ID card is easy to fake, and there’s no way to check it on the doorstep. The only safe answer is not to hand anything over at all.

   3. Keep the door shut, hand nothing over, and call the police emergency number. Note what he looks like and the car.

      Safe choice

      Exactly right. Real police never collect cards, PINs or cash from your home. Calling while the courier is at your door gives police a real chance to catch him, and details of his face and car help.

   Red flags at this step

   • A stranger collecting cash or cards “for the police”
   • A password or code word
   • A car waiting outside

   What's really going on

   The FBI says scammers give victims “a ‘code,’ ‘password,’ or ‘serial number’” so they know which courier to hand things to. Couriers may come on foot, by taxi or as a rideshare driver. If one is on the way or has just left, call the emergency number: 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK, 000 in Australia and 111 in New Zealand.

7. Step 7 of 7 Afterwards

   The next day, people who handed over cash get another call from the detective.

   Home phone

   Caller ID: (212) 555-0164

   1. Caller: “Thank you for your help yesterday. I’m afraid some of the notes you gave us were forgeries, which proves the branch is involved.”
   2. Caller: “We need you to take out another $8,000 so we can close the case. All of your money will be returned when it’s finished.”

   Read this aloud

   What do you do?

   Not sure? Show a hint

   Has anything been returned so far?

   1. Take out more. I’ve come this far, and they say I’ll get it all back.

      Risky choice

      The first payment makes the second one easier to ask for. There is no case, and nothing will be returned. Each withdrawal goes to the same criminals.

   2. Stop. Call my bank from a different phone, and report it to the police.

      Safe choice

      That’s the right thing to do, and it’s never too late. Your bank can protect your cards and accounts, and the police want to hear about it. These are professional criminals, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

   Red flags at this step

   • “The notes were forged, we need more”
   • A promise that everything will be returned
   • The same caller coming back for more

   What's really going on

   Courier gangs often go back to the same person, with a new reason each time. In the UK, courier fraud was reported 1,891 times in 2025, with more than £21 million lost, an average of £15,311 per victim. About 62% of reports came from people aged 76 to 96. Later, some people get calls offering to recover their money for a fee. That’s another scam.