Fraud gangs hit people in Leicestershire to the tune of £1.2 million last year, according to police estimates.
Leicestershire Police believes 8,000 people fell victim to various forms of fraud in the city and county, collectively losing £1.27 million.
Criminals use stolen details to remove money from victims' accounts, take out loans or mobile phone contracts and even obtain documents, such as passports or driving licences.
The average victim loses £1,200 and the total value of losses is estimated to be £3.3 billion a year in the UK.
In a report to Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board, to be held at County Hall, Glenfield, tomorrow, police warned of an increase inof "courier" fraud.
In their report, senior officers said: "It has been identified that there is a re-emergence of courier fraud offences targeting vulnerable people.
"There is a common theme to these offences, where offenders call the victim purporting to be a police officer investigating counterfeit currency.
"They offer to send a courier to collect the victim's bank cards or arrange a taxi to collect the victim to take them to the bank to withdraw the money."
The police report adds: "It is not known to what extent this criminality is being under-reported."
Last summer, the force supported a nationwide campaign, organised by the City of London Police, to encourage people to take simple steps to prevent their personal information falling into the hands of fraudsters.
At the time, Commander Steve Head, of City of London Police, said: "What many of us do not appreciate is the sheer scale of the problem.
"To get to grips with identity crime requires us all to come together and share advice on how to protect our personal information."
Police advice includes:
- Be careful who you give personal details such as full name, age, address and banking information to.
- Create strong passwords on all devices and for online accounts.
- Destroy or safely store all documents such as bank statements.
- Don't respond to unsolicited telephone calls or e-mails.
- Protect devices such as computers, tablets and phones with security software and passwords.
Further information is available at: