Broxtowe woman hands over £17K Rolex watch in scam

Police said the victim was told to buy the watch by someone she thought was from the bank

An elderly woman has been tricked into buying a £17,000 Rolex watch and then giving it away.

Nottinghamshire Police said the victim, from Broxtowe, was first contacted by someone claiming to be from the police.

She was then instructed to buy the watch and give it to a courier, by someone she thought was from the bank.

Police said it was one of 18 reports of courier frauds reported to them since 18 October with five victims losing money or expensive jewellery.

In three other incidents, victims were persuaded to withdraw large sums of cash as part of a covert police operation.

They were told their bank was suspected of distributing counterfeit bank notes and that officers needed to check them.

Police said three of the victims lost £8,000 while a fourth person lost £6,000.

Dale Richardson, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Fraudsters can be incredibly deceptive in their methods.

"Never give any personal details, your bank card or personal identification number (PIN).

"If you suspect a fraudulent phone call, hang up the phone and wait five minutes, then call 101. Never use redial.

"I would encourage friends, neighbours and family members to us help protect those who may be particularly at risk from these types of scams."

Nottinghamshire Police said neither they, or bank officials, would ever ask someone to withdraw money, purchase anything or hand over personal details or passwords.