Police have arrested 18 people and seized more than £250,000 in cash during a crackdown on courier fraud in London.
Reported offences of courier fraud - where scammers trick their victims into withdrawing cash or handing over bank cards - have dropped by nearly half (46%) since the Metropolitan Police operation began in February.
Detectives said the fraud often targets vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly, with the oldest affected victim in the investigation aged 101.
The operation, which also involved City of London Police, saw officers conduct warrants across the capital and use covert tactics and intelligence to dismantle suspected organised crime networks.
Detective Superintendent Kerry Wood, head of the Metropolitan Police's economic crime unit, said: "Met officers have worked extremely hard over the last few months to protect those vulnerable to this devastating crime, which can deprive vulnerable people of their livelihoods, pensions and hard-earned savings.
"The impact of these crimes can be long-lasting and cause significant emotional harm.
"We've arrested a number of individuals as part of our targeted operation, but the work doesn't stop here and our officers will continue to pursue those who ruthlessly target our communities via sophisticated scams.
"Our message to criminals should be clear - we will investigate, arrest and put you before the courts."
Police said officers are working alongside banks, businesses and community groups to raise awareness, and have visited more than 100 victims to help recover their stolen money.
