Elderly Letchworth resident loses £63K in bogus police scam

A Letchworth resident in their 90s was tricked into handing over £63,000 by someone posing as a police detective

A person in their 90s has lost £63,000 after a call from a bogus detective.

Hertfordshire Police said scammers posing as police officers had stolen more than £100,000 from residents in the county this November.

Most of those targeted were over the age of 70 and lived in Letchworth, Hemel Hempstead, Royston and Berkhamsted.

The Letchworth resident, who lost the biggest total, was called by someone claiming to be from Hammersmith Police.

Hertfordshire Police said all the scams involved someone pretending to investigate "fraudulent activity" on the victim's bank account.

The fraudsters then asked their victims to withdraw cash and post or send it by courier, or hand over bank details.

The scammers used "a variety of stories" to convince their victims, even telling them to call 999 to check their identity.

'Devastating'

Senior beacon fraud hub manager, Elaine Crate, said police officers or bank staff would never ask for people's bank details, or for cash to be handed over.

"You should never give your bank details to anyone," she said.

"This is one of the most common scams and the fraudsters tend to target older residents.

"If you have elderly or vulnerable friends or relatives, speak to them about this scam so they aren't fooled."

The police force said the impact on people was "devastating" and said it had a "protect your money" website that gave advice to avoid being scammed.