AN ELDERLY man from Ledbury had more than £1,100 stolen after he became victim of a telephone scam.
The incident happened on Wednesday, June 25 when fraudsters posing as officers from the Metropolitan police tricked the man into revealing his bank details.
They gave the victim a false story that he was the victim of bank account fraud and a courier was then sent to collect his bank cards.
The fraudsters then used the cards to withdraw £1,120 from his accounts.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police has urged residents to never give out bank details to anyone.
“Your bank and the police will never contact you by phone to ask for this information,” he said. “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 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
