IN THE NEWS
WARNING ABOUT COURIER FRAUD SCAM AFTER WINCHESTER UBER DRIVER RAISES ALARM
Hampshire Police is urging people to be vigilant after an Uber driver raised the alarm over a suspected courier fraud scam. The driver called police at 6.30pm on 11 June. He reported that earlier that day, he had accepted a ride request to transport documents from an address in Winchester to one in London. After the driver had collected two parcels from a woman at the Winchester address, the customer changed the drop off location to a car park in Watford. When the driver arrived, a man with his face partially covered, approached the vehicle, and gave a name that was not associated with the booking. The taxi driver became suspicious, refused to hand over the packages, and said
he would report it to the auth- orities, so the man ran off. The driver returned to Hampshire and called the police. The packages, contained £6,000 cash and bank cards. Following enquiries, officers spoke to the victim, a woman in her 70s. She said at midday she had received a call from a man purporting to be a police officer investigating fraud at a bank. He said her card had been cloned and persuaded her to take part in a covert operation by withdrawing £6,000 from her bank. She was directed to give a false explanation for the cash withdrawal, to avoid alerting bank staff, then told to put the cash and her bank cards in two packages and hand it to ‘evidence collector’.
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She later became suspicious of the call and contacted her banks to freeze her accounts. The police force has seen a notable increase in reports of this type of fraud in the force area in June. DC Mike Dumbleton said: “The driver did the right thing – he trusted his instincts that some- thing wasn’t right, reported it to us, so the victim has not lost £6,000. “We would encourage all private hire drivers to be aware of this scam, in case they get requests to transport packages in this way. Please be suspicious, especially if the person you collect the package from is elderly or vulnerable in any way. If you think it is a scam, please report it to us by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999.”
SHEFFIELD TAXI DRIVERS HAIL VICTORY AS EMR DROPS PERMIT CUTS AMID GRIDLOCK ROW
Sheffield’s taxi drivers are celebrating a significant win after East Midlands Railway (EMR) U- turned on controversial plans to drastically cut the number of permits at Sheffield station and dramatically increase fees. The decision marks a victory for cabbies who had been vocal in their opposition, even resorting to a payment strike last year. EMR had initially proposed slashing the number of taxi permits from 250 to 177 and hiking the annual fee by 62%, from £700 to £1,140. These proposals were part of EMR’s efforts, unveiled in March, to alleviate persistent “gridlock” and “traffic chaos” at the busy station.
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The long-running dispute saw black cab drivers initiating a payment strike in October, refusing to renew their permits until EMR addressed what they described as a “chaotic traffic environment.” Hafeas Rehman, chairperson of the Sheffield Taxi Trade Association, confirmed the cessation of the strike and the payment of arrears following EMR’s reversal. “We’ re pleased. Hackney cabs are not the cause of congestion at the station,” Rehman stated, expressing the sentiment of the taxi community. While the permit cuts are off the table, EMR is still considering other proposals aimed at improving traffic flow.
These include potentially closing the public drop-off point and making it private hire only, converting the public short-stay car park for “blue badge and contractor”
use only, and
designating the area directly in front of the station for black cabs only. The future of the rail staff car park on Turner Street is also under review, alongside broader improve- ments to traffic management. An EMR spokesperson confirmed ongoing discussions, stating: “We are currently working through a revised scheme with the council and taxi driver representatives. “More information will be shared once timescales are finalised.”
JULY 2025 PHTM
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