Fraudster pretends to be policeman to get bank cards

Essex Police is warning people to hang up if they think a telephone call is from a scammer

A conman pretended to be a police officer to persuade two pensioners to hand over bank cards.

Essex Police said the man rang his victims, both in their 80s, from Colchester, and told them arrests had been made during an investigation into cloned cards.

During the call, he said a card with their details on it had been recovered. The victims were then instructed to hand their bank cards to a "police courier" who would visit their home that evening.

PC Matthew Essam said the fraudster was "preying on the trust and confidence" people had in the police.

The victims were told the "courier" would give a pin number when he arrived to confirm his identity.

He collected their cards from their home in Stanway at 19:00 BST on 30 April, the same day the call had been made.

Police said the suspect was then seen using cash machines at an Esso garage and a Sainsbury's superstore.

PC Essam said: "Essex Police officers will never contact you to request your financial details or debit and credit cards.

"If you are ever in doubt about who is contacting you, hang up the phone and contact the organisation directly to make sure they are genuine," he added.

The suspect was in his late teens or early 20s, about 5ft 10in (178cm), black, of slim build with black curly hair.

At the cash machines, he was wearing a dark blue coat with the hood up, black jogging bottoms and a black face covering.

Officers have asked anyone with doorbell or dashcam footage taken in the area to get in touch.