Preston victim withdraws €3,500 in fake police officer scam

More than £35,000 has been stolen in telephone scams targeting elderly victims in October

Fraudsters posing as police, who have stolen £35,000 from elderly victims in Lancashire, are using "ruthless tactics", detectives have said.

A woman in her 80s from Preston withdrew €3,500 (£2,953) from the bank on Tuesday when she was told it was needed for evidence in a fraud inquiry.

Two other women in the city were told to leave cash outside their homes for a courier.

Residents in Blackburn and Lancaster have been similarly targeted.

Lancashire Police said the county was "suffering a spike in courier fraud" and warned people that police officers would never ask for bank details or demand cash.

The woman in her 80s received a phone call from a fraudster claiming to be PC Martin Langley with the collar number 0144.

The offender told her he was investigating fraudulent activity on her bank account and instructed her to go to the bank and withdraw the euros as evidence and it would be picked up outside her home.

'Suspicious activity'

Police said the man gave the victim a pre-approved code word in an attempt to prove his credibility.

The suspect is Asian, aged around 20, slim and was wearing a navy jacket and dark trousers, detectives said.

Two elderly victims also reported fraudsters who told them there had been suspicious activity on their bank cards at Asda.

Det Insp Mark Riley said: "If you ever receive a phone call from somebody stating they are a police officer and you are unsure they are who they are claiming to be, you can terminate the call and ring 101 and check that their name and collar number is genuine."

Earlier this month, a 27-year-old from London and two men from Nelson, aged 19 and 25, were arrested in connection with courier frauds in East Lancashire.

They have all since been released on bail or under investigation.