Two fraudsters who targeted a Bedford pensioner as part of a scam where they pretended to be police officers to steal tens of thousands of pounds from their elderly victims have been jailed.
George Hill, 31, of Clerkenwell Road in London, and Harry Caen-Reilly, 31, of Napier Road, Ashford in Surrey, were each sentenced to more than two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
Detectives found that the pair were behind attempts to trick unsuspecting victims out of their money in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, in a practice typically referred to as ‘courier fraud’.
In one incident, the pair targeted an 88-year-old man in Bedford using the same method; cold calling under the guise of being a member of the police, convincing the victim to hand over their money, and subsequently attending the address to collect the cash.
On that occasion, the victim suspected the men were imposters and refused to give them the money.
Sadly in another case, the victim was duped.
An 82-year-old woman in Houghton Regis, convincing her they were police officers themselves investigating counterfeit currency. After gaining her trust, they persuaded her to hand over £23,000 in cash to aid their ‘enquiries’.
Across five cases linked to the pair in November 2023, they defrauded victims, including vulnerable pensioners, out of nearly £50,000 but were unsuccessful in stealing a further £100,000.
Courier fraud is when fraudsters contact people purporting to be police officers or bank officials seeking assistance investigating a fictional police operation.
After establishing a level of trust, they look to convince the victim to use money stored at home or withdrawn from a bank to help with the fake investigation, and then send a courier to collect the funds.
At a Luton Crown Court hearing last week (2 August), both men were jailed for two years and eight months, after Hill had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, and Caen-Reilly was found guilty after trial for the same offence.
Detective Constable Lisa Hunt, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “Courier fraud is one of the most destructive crime types we come across, particularly due to the complete lack of conscience that offenders demonstrate by exploiting society’s most vulnerable.
“Hill and Caen-Reilly went out of their way to target vulnerable people across Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, defrauding several victims out of significant sums of money.
“Our dedicated teams were able to deploy quickly to apprehend them and bring both to justice and continue to investigate any others who may be part of the same network.
“I would urge the public to be live to the fact that criminals are looking to exploit vulnerable and elderly people in particular, and encourage people to speak with loved ones about the threat.”
If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.
More information about courier fraud can be found on the Action Fraud website. To report a suspected case, visit the Action Fraud website or call 0300 123 2040.
