Blackburn man conned into buying £38k Rolex for scammers

Police said the scam was "an appalling crime committed against a very vulnerable victim"

A "very vulnerable" man has been conned into buying a £38,000 watch in a courier fraud scam, police have said.

Lancashire Police said the man, who is in his 70s, was contacted by a man claiming to be a police officer and told his bank card had been cloned.

He was then called by a person who said they were from his bank and told to buy the watch as part of an investigation.

An Asian man who later picked up the watch from a jewellers in Blackburn is being sought by the force.

A police spokesman said the man from Blackburn was contacted on Tuesday by a man who claimed to be a police officer in London.

He said the man was told his card had been cloned and used in a fraud in the city.

He was later contacted "by somebody claiming to be working for a bank's fraud team on a covert police investigation with the fake police officer", the spokesman said.

'Remain vigilant'

They convinced the man to purchase a Rolex watch from the Blackburn jewellers, which was later collected by an Asian male "claiming to be a police officer in plain clothes", he added.

The man who picked up the watch was described as being in his 20s or 30s with black hair and was said to be wearing a high-visibility vest, blue jeans and white trainers.

Det Con Blair Patterson said the scam was "an appalling crime committed against a very vulnerable victim".

He urged jewellers and pawn shops in the town to "get in contact if you are offered the Rolex watch".

"I would also ask that you remain vigilant for any elderly or vulnerable people who come into your stores and ask to buy an expensive watch," he added.

"Although they might be making a genuine purchase, they could also be the victims of this kind of fraud."

No arrests have been made in connection with the scam.