Man in 20s charged in connection with offences which saw scammers pose as police

A 21-year-old man has been charged in connection with a variety of fraud which sees criminals pose as police officers.

Courier fraud sees criminals prey upon vulnerable victims who are tricked into thinking they are helping police. Picture: Brittany Woodman - Credit: Archant

The charge relates to 31 incidents between January 1 and October 8 of this year, where victims across Norfolk and elsewhere in the UK were encouraged to withdraw large sums of money.

They were then told to hand the money over to a courier, who falsely claims to be a police officer.

Benaissa Sintim of Cazenove Road, London, appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday (October 9) where he was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Sintim was remanded into custody and is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court on November 6.

Courier fraud sees scammers prey upon vulnerable victims, who are often convinced into thinking they are playing an important part in a police operation.

It has risen dramatically in Norfolk this year, with the county’s police force receiving 315 reports from the public since February - including 100 in the past two months.