Fraudsters posing as police nearly conned a resident out of £157k – triggering officers to warn of scammers targeting Hertfordshire.
The victim in Northwood was asked to buy a watch from a jeweller and transferred £157k to its bank account, following which police started investigating.
Officers contacted the retailer, which was unaware of the scam, and detectives were told another £20k purchase had been made which also emerged to be fraudulent.
The transactions were halted and money returned to the victims.
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But one elderly resident, understood to live in Dacorum, was conned out of £6k after being called by bogus officers who asked them to hand over bank cards or money to a courier.
Police are warning residents to be wary as the criminals are now often asking people to buy expensive items such as gold bars and watches for a courier to collect.
Officers or bank officials will never request sensitive information like pins or ask people to buy anything, a Herts Police spokesperson said.
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