A phone call from the police out of the blue. You want to help. Who wouldn't?Scam Secrets returns with the chilling story of an audacious scam that reached all the way to the doorstep of its victims. Jane and Neville were so convinced they were part of a police operation that they handed over their life savings - more than £670,000 - to criminals behind a scam known as courier fraud.Fraud investigator Shari Vahl, criminal language expert Dr Lis Carter and former criminal Alex Wood analyse the tactics used - the fake emergency call, the mind games and the relentless contact - to lift the lid on how the criminals did it.Along with guest expert DCI Jon Hodgeon, they'll raise their red flags to highlight the things you can watch out for - so you'll know whether the police officer you're talking to is a criminal in disguise.PRESENTER: SHARI VAHLPRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

A phone call from the police out of the blue. You want to help. Who wouldn't? Scam Secrets returns with the chilling story of an audacious scam that reached all the way to the doorstep of its victims. Jane and Neville were so convinced they were part of a police operation that they handed over their life savings - more than £670,000 - to criminals behind a scam known as courier fraud. Fraud investigator Shari Vahl, criminal language expert Dr Lis Carter and former criminal Alex Wood analyse the tactics used - the fake emergency call, the mind games and the relentless contact - to lift the lid on how the criminals did it. Along with guest expert DCI Jon Hodgeon, they'll raise their red flags to highlight the things you can watch out for - so you'll know whether the police officer you're talking to is a criminal in disguise. PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

The Police Are On The Phone

It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money.But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too late.Shari Vahl, who has investigated fraud for the BBC for 20 years, is joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who now tries to stop scams - to dissect the shadiest techniques criminals use to steal your cash. In each episode, they dig deep into a different scam, with first-hand accounts from the people targeted, forensic analysis of the techniques and mind games being used - and even secret recordings of the scammers themselves. 
 
Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode.
 
You can also email the Scam Secrets team - tell them which scams you want them to unpick: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk

True Crime

It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money. But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too late. Shari Vahl, who has investigated fraud for the BBC for 20 years, is joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who now tries to stop scams - to dissect the shadiest techniques criminals use to steal your cash. In each episode, they dig deep into a different scam, with first-hand accounts from the people targeted, forensic analysis of the techniques and mind games being used - and even secret recordings of the scammers themselves. Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode. You can also email the Scam Secrets team - tell them which scams you want them to unpick: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk

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The Police Are On The Phone

The Police Are On The Phone

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