"DESPICABLE" fraudsters continue to prey on Worcester's most vulnerable and lonely elderly victims as part of a callous bank card scam which has already left one man £1,000 out of pocket.

West Mercia Police have now had 13 'courier fraud' incidents reported in Worcester and the surrounding area since Saturday, January 10 as the city's police commander vows to take robust action against the conmen.

The thieves call the victim to get bank details including the pin number and then send a courier to pick up that person's bank card.

Supt Kevin Purcell said: "This is such a despicable crime because it targets vulnerable elderly people, often those who are living alone and isolated. Thankfully in most cases people are putting the phone down and calling the police. However in some cases criminals are gaining access to victim’s accounts and this is a serious concern.

"We will be taking a robust to approach to tackle this and we would encourage people to spread the word, particularly with elderly relatives and friends, that this is a scam. If you are ever called by somebody pretending to be from the police or bank, don’t divulge your details. Remember the police and the bank would never ask for this information. Call 101 to report it, or 999 if the crime is in progress."

The calls have been mainly targeted at elderly people, with the oldest victim being 86. Only two of the victims were under 65.

People with common surnames such as Brown, Davies and Thomas appear to have been targeted.

On three occasions the victims have been scammed into handing over bank details and a courier was sent.

On January 10 a 65-year-old female from Worcester handed over bank details and a courier attended. There was no financial loss as cancelled her cards. She described the courier as an Asian male, aged mid-twenties, of average height, medium build, with black wavy hair. He was dressed in a fluorescent jacket.

On January 11 an 86-year old-man from Powick, was scammed and £300 was taken from his account. The courier was described as a male aged 20 to 25, around 5ft 8ins tall, with a medium build, with very short dark-coloured hair. He was wearing a three quarter length outdoor coat, which was dark-coloured.

On January 13 a 66-year-old man from Worcester was scammed out of £1,000, after he handed over his bank details and a courier was sent.