FRAUDSTERS claiming to be police officers have targeted elderly people in a North Yorkshire town.

The first victim, a man in his eighties living in Harrogate, was phoned on Tuesday, April 24, by a man claiming to be PC Mark Lawrence from the Fraud Squad in Scotland Yard.

North Yorkshire Police said the victim was told he could phone 999 to check the caller's collar number, which he did, but unbeknownst to the victim, he was still on the same call.

A spokesman said: "The victim spoke to a woman who ‘confirmed’ these details and put him through to a fake ‘Detective Sergeant Mark Douglas’ who said that they suspected that the victim’s bank was being targeted by Romanian criminals and that they needed his help to rectify the situation.

"The fake ‘officer’ kept the victim on the phone for over two hours whilst he went to his bank and, under the guise that he was using it to buy a car, withdrew £3,000 in cash so that the 'police' could analyse it to see if there was counterfeit money in the cash bundle. The fake ‘officer’ also remained on the phone whilst a different man, from what could have been a fake courier agency, visited the victim’s home address to collect the money. The courier provided the password ‘SUNFLOWER’, which had been provided to the victim earlier in the phone call, and left with the money."

The victim became concerned the following day when the ‘officer’ did not call and visited his bank to discover he had been a victim of fraud.

In a second incident, a woman in her eighties, also living in Harrogate, was phoned the same day by a man who claimed to be Sergeant Wiggen of the Fraud Squad in New Scotland Yard.

He told the woman there had been suspicious activity on her account, and she needed to go to her local bank and withdraw £17,000. On this occasion, the bank blocked the removal of any money and informed North Yorkshire Police.

PC Amanda Hanusch-Moore from North Yorkshire Police’s Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing team said: "These heartless fraudsters are sophisticated and well-rehearsed and whilst they typically prey on the elderly, any one of us could fall victim to their deceptions if we are not vigilant.

"It is important to remember that the police or your bank will never ask you to withdraw or transfer money from your bank account, even to aid an investigation. If you receive a call of this nature or have any suspicious at all, please be reassured that it is okay to hang up the phone and end the conversation."

*If you believe you or a family member have been a victim of this type of crime, phone 101 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or at actionfraud.police.uk

Anyone with information can also contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.