West Belfast pensioner arrested on suspicion of fraud

By David Hunter

A 70 year old woman has been arrested in West Belfast on suspicion of fraud and money offences. 

It follows an incident in Coleraine when a Bank alerted police to a suspicious withdrawal from a 74 year old man's account. 

He'd been the victim of an alleged Ministry of Justice bank charges Scam and had posted thousands of pounds in cash to addresses in London and Belfast.

The most recent transaction was to an address in Belfast on Monday of this week, which lead to a follow up operation by police. 

Searches were conducted on Thursday when the arrest was made. 

Detective Sergeant McColgan said "Following Police enquiries a successful search and arrest operation was conducted today (Thursday, 20 July). 

"This was a focussed team driven operation which CIB in Coleraine in partnership with other PSNI departments deployed to protect a member of the public being targeted by scammers.”

"Tackling fraudulent behaviour is a priority for police and this is an excellent example of officers providing the personal service the community desires."

Official police advice states that guarding your personal and banking details is essential. 

They say you should never disclose them to any unauthorised person.

If you have received a call of this kind or are concerned, report it to Action Fraud or phone the police non-emergency number 101.