An elderly couple were swindled out of £11,000 after they were contacted by fraudsters posing as undercover detectives.
The couple received numerous calls from a withheld number where a man claimed he was part of a national operation to identify counterfeit money within the local area.
The con artist – who claimed to be a detective working undercover at the local police station – told the couple he was ‘recruiting’ them as undercover civilians to gather money to be checked.
On December 4, the man asked the victim to gather €7,000 (£5,783) which was collected later that evening by an unknown man, described as being Afro-Caribbean.
The following day, a similar incident occurred where the victim was asked to gather more money.
The victim’s wife drove to several local banks and building societies to withdraw approximately eleven thousand pounds.
That evening, a different man attended their home and collected the money. He was described as being a Middle Eastern male.
Police were later alerted and an investigation was launched. Enquiries are currently ongoing including house-to-house enquiries and checking local CCTV.
This comes after it was revealed that serial scammers tricked nine elderly people into handing over nearly £12,000 by persuading them to hand over their bank cards.
Arbaaz Khan, 31, was part of a phone scamming ring targeting vulnerable pensioners, with an average age of 87. Khan would send a ‘runner’ to collect the bank card from the victims’ homes – before the group drained all the money from their accounts.
In total, they stole £11,940 over nine offences between 1 November 2021 and 16 February 2022.
Abi Wood, CEO, Age UK London, said: ‘This is a terrible case of scamming older people who are so often targeted for this type of crime.
‘In this case, the work of the Met Police officers has been vital to prevent any more people becoming victims and we are pleased to see that the criminals were caught.
‘Our advice to older people is to say no. Never disclose your bank details either over the phone or to someone in person who asks for it and never hand over your bank cards.
‘If you are unsure, check with your bank or someone you know before doing anything. For doorstep scams, keep all doors locked when answering the door as people can work together.
‘Use a chain on the door, especially if you are not expecting anyone, ask for ID, and ask them to wait while you check with their organisation.
‘A genuine person would not mind you doing this. If you feel unsafe or pressured, contact family, a friend, or the police.’
Anyone with information specific to this case is asked to contact police via the website or by calling 101 quoting 50240308379.