Fake police officer jailed after conning an elderly woman and convincing her to hand over £3,500 in cash

An 89 year-old woman from Portsmouth received a call in August 2023 in which she was told by a man purporting to be a police officer that a person had been arrested whilst attempting to use her bankcard.

She was told to call 999 and spoke with a woman who confirmed the caller was an officer and gave her a crime reference number. The following day, the woman was called again and asked to withdraw £3500 from her bank and was provided with a cover story to tell the bank, should they question the withdrawal.

After withdrawing the money, the woman was told by the caller to put on gloves and read the serial numbers of some of the notes, which she was then informed were counterfeit and would be collected by a courier. She was given a password to check with the courier and a man later came to her address to collect the money.

A similar thing also happened to an 88 year-old woman from Hertfordshire in May 2023 who was tricked into handing over three bank cards which were used to make payments at an Apple Store totalling £1,000 and a further £500 was withdrawn from an ATM.

After an extensive investigation by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit, 26 year-old Arnaldo Katalay of Gascoigne Way in Billericay, Essex was identified to have collected the money from the woman in Portsmouth and to have been involved in the use of the bankcards collected from the incident in Hertfordshire.

He was arrested in October 2023 and charged with fraud by false representation and acquiring / using / possessing criminal property.

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Katalay appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on 25 April, where he pleaded guilty to the offences. He appeared again for sentencing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, June 13, where he was sentenced to 23 month’s imprisonment.

Officers are urging people to not engage with these type of calls. Victims are typically elderly and officers are asking anyone with an elderly relative, loved one, friend or associate to please make them aware of this scam.

Remember that:

• Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people in this way and ask you to withdraw money, buy expensive gold or jewellery or disclose personal or financial information. If someone does do this, please hang up – it will be a scam.
• If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force. Wait at least five minutes before verifying details with the appropriate Force by calling 101 – do not use any number they provide unless you can confirm it as genuine. Ensure the call has disconnected as scammers will often leave the line open or use another phone altogether. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check their identity (it’s a sign that it is a scam if the person becomes pushy or stresses urgency).
• Take a step back from everything and take a few moments to think. Speak to a trusted friend or relative for their opinion before agreeing to anything. The fraudster’s tactic is often to keep the victim busy talking and isolated. They stress that they should not tell anyone else about the call.
• Your bank or the police will never send a courier or taxi to your home to collect cash, bank cards, PINs or other valuable goods.
• If you are a friend, relative or carer of someone you think might be vulnerable to this type of scam, please speak to them about this advice. You might be the only person who can stop them from being scammed.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, report it to us by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999. You can make yourself aware of this type of scam and how to protect yourself by visiting the Action Fraud website (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/) or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.