People being asked to buy gold and jewellery in new impersonation scam twist

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scammers are trying to persuade people to buy gold and jewellery, in a change of approach to some frauds, a major bank has warned. The new twist is where scammers try to persuade the customer to withdraw large sums of cash from their branch and purchase gold or jewellery, which is then handed over to the scammer under the pretence that it will be kept safe or will be used in evidence in court, HSBC said. David Callington, HSBC UK’s head of fraud, said: “Scammers are devious criminals who adapt their approach from time to time, trying to stay one step ahead of banks and the police. While this not only leads to the customer losing money through the scam, as there is a physical element to it with a meeting to carry out the handover, there’s a potential physical risk to the victim as well David Callington, HSBC UK “Over the last couple of months we may have seen the start of a trend where purchasing and physically handing over gold, silver or jewellery has become part of a scam.