POLICE have issued a warning after someone impersonating a police officer scammed an elderly woman out of £7,500 in Worcester last week.

Detective Inspector Emma Wright said: “On January 29 we received reports of a victim in her 80s sadly falling foul of a courier fraud scam which has been targeting elderly and vulnerable people in Worcester.

“Several victims have been defrauded of thousands of pounds across Worcestershire recently and while our investigations are ongoing, if the public could please let elderly and vulnerable friends, family and neighbours know that:

- no police officer will ever instruct you to go to a bank and withdraw money for an investigation

- no police force or bank will telephone you with questions about your accounts

- no police force will ever send a courier to your home or to meet you to collect the money

“If you've been a victim or think you or someone you know have been a victim of this vile scam, please call us on 101 or visit us online and report it as soon as possible.”

This comes after police issued a warning last month for people to be on their guard following reports of attempted courier fraud in Worcestershire.

West Mercia Police said there were several reports of courier fraud attempts on elderly and vulnerable people during a 24 hour period as lockdown began.

Courier fraud is when a fraudster contacts victims by telephone purporting to be a police officer or bank official, in an attempt to con them out of thousands of pounds.