PITTSFIELD, New Hampshire — Arnaldo Katalay, 26, has been sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in a courier fraud scheme that targeted two elderly women, defrauding them of a total of £5,500.
In May 2023, an 88-year-old woman from Hertfordshire received a call from a man claiming to be a police officer. The caller told her that her granddaughter had been arrested for attempting to use her bank card and urged her to verify the officer’s identity by dialing 101. The woman complied, unknowingly confirming the scammer’s legitimacy.
Over two hours, the fraudster gathered sensitive information, convincing the woman that her bank cards were needed for identification. A courier was sent to collect three bank cards, which were later used to spend £1,000 at an Apple Store and withdraw an additional £500 from an ATM.
In August 2023, a similar scam targeted an 89-year-old woman in Portsmouth. She was falsely told by a caller posing as a police officer that a person had been arrested using her bank card. After verifying the caller via a 999 call, she was instructed to withdraw £3,500, which was collected by a courier under the pretense that the money contained counterfeit notes.
An investigation by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit linked Katalay to the crimes. He was arrested in October 2023 and charged with fraud by false representation and possessing criminal property.
Katalay pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Magistrates Court in April and was sentenced on June 13 at Portsmouth Crown Court.
Police urge the public, especially those with elderly relatives, to be wary of such scams. They remind that legitimate police officers and banks will never request cash withdrawals, personal information, or send couriers to collect valuables.
Victims or witnesses of fraud are encouraged to report incidents by calling 101, or 999 if a crime is in progress.
