An elderly couple from Newport were conned out of £26,000 after a "sophisticated and well-rehearsed" scam involving fake police officers.
Gwent Police is investigating a number of scams reported this week where fraudsters have claimed to be police officers in order to obtain money.
A statement from the force said an elderly couple from Newport had more than £26,000 stolen, and an 88-year-old woman from Monmouthshire had more than £14,000 stolen this week by scammers.
On these occasions the fraudsters claimed to be police officers from Hertfordshire Police and the National Crime Agency, police said, adding that there were a number of tactics being used by the scammers.
These include claiming there is fraudulent activity on the victims’ bank accounts and telling them that to unfreeze their accounts they would have to transfer or withdraw money.
This is often followed by another fraudster pretending to be a police officer collecting the cash from the victims’ homes for them to ‘keep safe’.
Fraudsters also ask victims not to tell family or their banks what the money is for due to the ‘undercover investigation’.
Victims have also been asked to ring 999 or 101 to check the ‘legitimacy of the call’. However, because the criminal keeps the phone line open, the call is again answered by a fraudulent accomplice.
Detective Inspector Louise Cruci said: “I cannot stress enough how sophisticated and well-rehearsed these scammers are.
"Our message is clear – the police, government agencies or banks will never ask you to disclose personal information, bank details or demand payments.
“I would urge all residents to share this message and raise awareness of this scam in particular with elderly relatives or more vulnerable members of the community.
"Officers have been working with local banks and the local authority to raise awareness of this scam and to report any suspicious activity.
“If you receive any calls of this nature – they are a scam. Please hang up and call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
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