An elderly resident was scammed out of £40,000 by fraudsters who posed as police to steal money from victims.

The victim, from Radlett, was one of many people who had money taken from them, which overall came to more than £100,000 in January alone.

Residents in St Albans, Hitchin and Buntingford also lost money in the scam that saw fake police officers ask for sensitive information such as PIN numbers.

Detective Inspector Pete Hankins, from the serious fraud and cyber unit, said: “It’s important to re-iterate that police officers or bank officials will never ask you for sensitive information, like a PIN or ask you to purchase high value items to assist them with an enquiry.”

Police revealed that these kinds of scams usually involve a telephone call via mobile or a landline number, with someone posing as a police officer and informing the victim of fraudulent activity on their bank account.

The victims are then instructed to put their bank cards or money into an envelope and give them to a courier or taxi, which is sent to their home by the offenders to collect.

Watford Observer: In some cases victims have been asked to hard over their cards to couriers In some cases victims have been asked to hard over their cards to couriers (Image: Pixabay)

In some cases, the victim may be asked to buy goods or vouchers.

If bank cards are collected, they can be used later by the offenders to withdraw large sums of money.

The offenders may also ask the victim to disclose their bank details, including their account and PIN numbers, to aid the bogus investigation.

Mr Hankins added: “Criminals involved in courier fraud may still ask victims to withdraw cash or hand over their bank card and PIN however we are increasingly dealing with reports where victims have been asked to purchase high value items such as watches which are then collected by a courier. 

“Usually, the intended victim realises the call is not genuine and refuses to part with their personal and bank details.

“However, these fraudsters can be very persuasive and insistent, which has resulted in some people falling victim to this scam and subsequently losing thousands of pounds.”

The police said to call 101 if you receive a suspicious call.