Fraudster posed as Lancashire detective to steal £60,000

Lancashire Police said there had been a series of courier frauds in the county

A 75-year-old woman was tricked into handing over £60,000 to a man pretending to be a police detective.

The man persuaded the woman from Preston to send him money and gold by claiming it was needed as part of an ongoing investigation.

Lancashire Police said the victim suspected she had been the victim of fraud after handing over £60,000 to a "courier".

Officers were able to prevent the victim handing over a further £50,000.

They also managed to recover £40,000 in gold.

'Unscrupulous'

The force said there had been a series of courier frauds in the county which have seen vulnerable elderly people targeted for money over the phone.

Victims are usually phoned by someone claiming to be from the "fraud team" who tells them they have been the victim of fraud with a story such as their bank card has been used by someone else.

Det Supt Mark Riley said the fraudsters were "unscrupulous offenders with no morals and are only interested in bringing misery".

"They can be very convincing and will try every trick in the book to get you to trust them," he said.

"The police, the bank, or any other organisation for that matter will never phone you and ask you to withdraw funds for inspection."

There have been no arrests but officers have traced the call to the woman to a location in London.