North Yorkshire Police has warned residents to be "on their guard" against fraudsters after a new telephone scam saw one person lose "thousands of pounds."
As part of the scam, fraudsters are calling victims claiming to be a police officer and asking them to withdraw money.
This call was then picked up another fraudster claiming to be a “police courier.”
A police spokesperson said:
“Please do not hand over any money or pass your bank details to anyone who calls on the phone or at your home.
“In this case, the suspects claimed to have found bank cards in a store and convinced the victim that they were carrying out an investigation into fake money and that they should withdraw a large amount of cash, put it in a bag and someone would collect it.
“They told the victim to verify them by calling 999 but the suspects stayed on line but the victim assumed they were talking to the police.”
The spokesperson added:
“Criminals are experts at impersonating banks, trusted organisations or the police.
“They will try to rush and panic you into responding to their requests. It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore these requests.
“If you’re contacted out of the blue, you can call us back to verify an officer, but please make sure the criminals are no longer on the line.
“Hang up and wait at least five minutes before you call, better still, use a different line or phone altogether if you can.”
If you have been targeted by similar fraudsters, call police on 101. If you have any suspicious people calling at your home, don't answer the door and call police on 999.
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