AN ELDERLY man was tricked into handing over thousands of pounds in cash by fraudsters posing as police officers.
The victim received a phone call from the conmen last Wednesday (February 26) who claimed his bank account had been cloned and they needed the bank notes to carry out forensic investigations.
A ‘courier’ then called at his home to collect the money.
Another incident in the city which saw another elderly victim have £250 stolen from his bank account after being tricked into handing over his cards has led to police issuing an urgent appeal for people to be wary of bogus callers.
The fraudsters are posing as officers from the Metropolitan Police and then various stories are used to trick people into thinking they are victims of bank account fraud and in most cases a fake courier is sent to collect the cards or cash.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: “You should never reveal your personal bank details or the PIN number for your bank cards to anyone.
“Your bank and the police will never contact you by phone to ask for this information. Victims should refuse to give any details and end the call immediately.
“In addition a police officer calling at your door will carry a warrant card which shows their name, number and a photograph as well as the force they work for.
“If you have any doubts you should call the police on 101 and ask for the name to be verified.
“Genuine police officers will NEVER ask for bank details over the telephone. One simple rule will prevent you from falling for this kind of con and that is to NEVER give bank details to anyone who has called you.”
Anyone with information about suspicious callers claiming to be police should call the non emergency number 101 and ask for Worcester CID.
They can also report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org
