We are urging the public to stay vigilant and warn elderly relatives or neighbours against scammers impersonating police officers.

Bedfordshire Police has dealt with several cases of courier fraud where people have been tricked into handing over money or valuables.

Criminals are targeting the elderly or vulnerable and pretending to be from police forces across the country before asking the victim to withdraw sums of cash.

The money is then handed over at a later date to couriers who attend the victim’s address to collect the goods.

Just this week alone in Bedfordshire, one victim lost £13,000 while another was scammed out of £48,000.

A common theme is where suspects tell victims that they have people in police custody for cloning the victim’s debit cards, they then ask the victims for their bank details and pin numbers.

Criminals may also convince the victim to transfer money to a 'secure' bank account, hand over their bank cards or give the criminals high value items, such as jewellery, watches and gold.

Another tactic used is called "open phone" where the victim is persuaded to stay on the phone to the criminal whilst they go to withdraw money or go to a jeweller. This stops the victim interacting with anyone else or having the chance to think about what is really happening.

Detective Inspector James Day from Bedfordshire Police’s Serious Fraud Investigation Unit said: “Unfortunately this is a very common crime type in which the perpetrators prey on the elderly and vulnerable. They end up losing valuable amounts of money and savings, which in turn leads to upset and worry.

“Please remember that the police will never ask you to withdraw money for them or call you to ask for your bank details, and never ever share your debit or credit card with anyone else. They will also never ask for your jewellery to keep it safe.

“We would advise that you always check the caller’s credentials. Never click any email link you are unsure of or respond to any unsolicited emails or calls.

“If you take a call from someone who you believe is not genuine, hang up, and contact either Action Fraud or the police. Where possible use a different phone to make the call, in case the fraudulent caller is still on the line.”

You can find out more about how to report any suspicious behaviour and how to help protect yourself from courier fraud at https://orlo.uk/2hO0f