£50,000 lost in ‘Valerie’ scam so far

Wednesday 15 September 2021

Bailiwick Law Enforcement is warning islanders of a bank scam that has already cost 20 people across the Channel Islands a combined £50,000.

The public is being warned by fraudsters who go by the name ‘Valerie’ and claim to be from the fraud department of the recipient's bank.

“They ask the person to go through their security questions, and glean information from those, before sometimes saying the questions were failed and asking for passwords,” said BLE.

“They are also asking for 3 digits of people’s PIN, when a bank would only ever ask for two.”

Pictured: ‘Valerie’ will suggest that your bank has intercepted a payment to booking.com and are double checking it was intentional.

Once the fraudster has your details, they’ll make a call to the bank and transfer cash into their account, sometimes up to 50 days later.

“There have already been over 20 customers of one bank who have lost money through this scam in the Channel Islands, totalling over £50,000,” said BLE.

Islanders are being asked to contact Action Fraud if they’ve received a call like this in the past few months. The callers have been reported as African men and women. 

You can contact Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 or by emailing actionfraud.police.uk.

Alternatively, you can call the police on 222222 or email fraud@guernsey.pnn.police.uk, scams@gov.gg, or tradingstandards@gov.gg.