Police are warning residents in Devon to be vigilant following a phone scam in which the caller is pretending to be a police officer in order to extract money from vulnerable elderly people.

In one case, this led to a woman in her 70s drawing out a substantial amount of money, which she almost handed over but at the last moment had second thoughts at the last momentand instead contacted the police.

Another report has been received whereby an elderly man handed over £10,000.

There have been an increasing number of calls about this scam, particularly in the Tiverton and South Devon areas. Detective Inspector Jo Devonshire said: ‘We are advising anyone who receives such a call not to give any personal information and hang up immediately.

‘This type of call can be linked to courier fraud, where victims will be encouraged to withdraw funds from their bank account or give bank cards to a courier, arranged by the ‘police officer’ making the call under the guise of ‘assisting with a police investigation’.

‘We will never contact people to ask for banking information or request that they withdraw money from an account to aid an investigation.’

She went on to say: ‘Fraudsters often target geographical areas where they know elderly or vulnerable people live, so we are asking that if you have family or friends who are vulnerable in any way, that you make them aware of this scam.’

If you, or an elderly person you know, has been affected by a scam like this, email [email protected] or call 101, quoting 518 200922.

Police advise anyone receiving a scam call to terminate the call, wait five minutes and ensure you can hear a dial tone before calling 101, and then call your bank using the number found on the back of your card. You can also report fraud to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040 or online https://www.actionfraud.police.uk. This organisation works with the police to collate information on scams so that action can be taken.