North Yorkshire Police say there has been an increase in reports about a fake police officer phone scam and they are warning residents to be on their guard. 

A spokesman for the force said: "Once again, here in North Yorkshire we've had a surge in reports of a phone scam where an individual receives a call purporting to be from a police officer who has their son/daughter/nephew/niece/grandchild in custody in possession of their bank card.

"The caller tells the individual to attend the bank and draw out a significant amount of cash which will be picked up by a 'courier' and held in a safe place.

"Of course the cash won't be safe and will be going straight into the scammers' pockets.

"Let's stop these scammers in their tracks and make sure no one falls for their manipulative tactics. Please share this message with your friends, family and networks to help them all stay vigilant for these scam calls." 

The police or your bank will never call and ask you to move, pay or transfer money.

If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately. 

If you're worried you might have fallen victim to this scam or any other scam, call 101 to report it to North Yorkshire Police.