An elderly couple were conned out of thousands of pounds at Christmas by evil fraudsters who claimed to be Greater Manchester Police officers.
Police chiefs have issued a festive fraud warning as a result.
Detectives are investigating after the couple handed over bundles of £50 notes.
The victims - who haven't been identified - visited their banks and building societies to withdraw cash.
Police haven't revealed the exact sum involved, but said it was 'thousands of pounds'.
The couple, who live in Stafford in the West Midlands, answered a telephone call to their homes last Friday - the start of the con.
They spoke to a person who claimed they worked for Greater Manchester Police as an officer.
The fraudster, police said, then delivered a fake story about a bogus investigation.
The couple were told they were being investigated after another person alleged they were 'caring for another elderly couple' at their home.
"In order to facilitate the enquiry, the caller said they would need the woman to pay for it," a spokesman for Staffordshire Police said in an appeal.
"When the woman questioned this, she was told to call 192 and she would get through to the fraud squad of Greater Manchester Police.
"The victims then visited their banks and building societies around Stafford and in total withdrew a large quantity of cash.
"The caller had requested £50 notes and when the woman called back they asked her for the serial numbers of some of the notes.
"The woman was then asked to put the cash in a clear plastic bag and a black man posing as a police officer arrived at their house to collect it."
The force said it wasn't known whether the conman arrived in a vehicle or on foot, or whether he was dressed in uniform or posing as a plain clothes detective.
Detective Inspector Steve Ward, from the forces' fraud and financial investigations team, said: "Neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to transfer or withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords.
"If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer, hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police on 101, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back.
"If you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time and try calling a family member or friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line.
"Always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police."
