POLICE have issued a warning following reports of a well-known fake officer telephone scam in North Yorkshire.

During the scam, North Yorkshire Police said a caller rings the victim claiming to be from the police, and in these most recent cases, Sergeant White from the Serious Crime Unit at York.

The caller then tells the individual that a relative has been arrested for trying to use the individual’s bank card in a retailer and that their account is under threat of fraud.

They then add another layer to the deceit by transferring the individual to ‘Officer Timothy Mason’ from Brixton Police, who claims to be with the arrested individual.

The caller advises that they need to immediately attend the bank and withdraw all money from their account in cash. A ‘police officer’ or courier will then come to their home to collect the cash and take it for safekeeping.

North Yorkshire Police financial abuse safeguarding officer, Andy Fox, said: "Remember, police or your bank will never contact you and ask you to move or transfer money.

"If you receive a call of this nature, hang up immediately. If you want to double check whether it is a legitimate call, use a different phone to ring your bank’s customer service."