Police in Belfast have made two arrests after officers on patrol noticed a man and a woman acting suspiciously in the city centre yesterday, Wednesday 8th May.
Sergeant Rooney said: "Our officers observed a man hand over what appeared to be a large sum of cash to the couple, at a cashpoint in the Donegall Square East area.
"When they stopped those involved, they discovered that the couple had claimed that they had lost their bank card and asked the man to withdraw a sum of cash for them. In return, the man provided his bank details and they sent him a screenshot of what appeared to be a transfer to his account. We believe that this screenshot was fake.
"The sum of cash was returned to the man, and the couple- a man aged 40 and a woman aged 24 - were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. They remain in police custody at this time.”
Sergeant Rooney continued: "We have reason to believe that there may have been a number of similar incidents recently, and as such would appeal to anyone who may have been asked to give cash to a person unknown to them in suspicious circumstances to contact police, quoting reference number 2164 0f 08/05/24.
"I would also like to remind the public not to give cash to anyone they do not know, no matter how convincing their story may seem. Unfortunately, scammers will prey on the generosity of the community. If anyone is in genuine trouble because of a lost or forgotten bank card, they can always contact the police for help.
"If you feel someone is trying to coerce you into giving them money, please contact us on 101, or 999 in an emergency."