Scammers posing as police target Warrington residents with calls

Eight residents, some in their 80s, were targeted in a spate of fraudulent calls in 24 hours, police say

Scammers posing as police officers have been targeting people in a town by calling them up and and trying to dupe them into handing over cash.

Cheshire Police has urged Warrington residents to be vigilant after eight incidents were reported in 24 hours.

People were told they had been victims of fraud and asked to withdraw money for a courier.

Insp Anna Keefe said the criminals could be "incredibly convincing" but had not succeeded so far.

"These fraudsters can be very persuasive and use a variety of tactics to convince you to withdraw money," she said.

"Thankfully, in the incidents reported to us in the last 24 hours, no money was handed over."

Bogus calls

The scammers make the calls posing as police and claim their victim's bank card had been used fraudulently.

On Thursday, an 84-year-old man was contacted by a fraudster and told £325 had been spent on his bank card, but he checked his account and confirmed this was not true.

An 80-year-old woman was also targeted on the same day and asked to withdraw £5,800 worth of Euros from a supermarket travel counter, with instructions given on what to say if staff questioned the amount of cash being collected.

"Remember, the police will never ask you to withdraw money," Insp Keefe said.

"If you suspect you have been subjected to this type of crime, even if you hung up the phone and did not fall victim, please report it to Cheshire Police as soon as possible."