Heartless scammer poses as police to con thousands from elderly Northamptonshire pensioner

A Northamptonshire pensioner in her 90s has been conned out of thousands by a heartless trickster pretending to be a police officer.

Detectives at Wootton Hall revealed the woman was cold-called by a man claiming to be from Oxfordshire police investigating irregularities at her bank.

After making her promise not to tell anyone about the ‘secret investigation’, the fraudster managed to scam the woman out of a chunk of her life savings.

Police say a number of similar incidents have been reported across the county and Detective Sergeant Darren Little warned: “We are really trying to raise awareness of this emerging scam that is making its way around Northamptonshire and we really need younger people to speak to their elderly relatives about it.

“Please remind your relatives that a genuine police officer will never ask anyone for money, regardless of the investigation they are conducting, and anyone purporting to be a police officer doing this should be reported immediately.

“If a genuine police officer does need help from members of the public, they will not mind proving beyond all reasonable doubt that they are legitimate. They will also not mind coming back at a suitable time when other family members can be present.

“A real police officer will also never ask you to keep a secret or make you feel rushed or coerced into doing something you wouldn’t normally do.

“Please remind your elderly relatives of these facts and if they are in any doubt of the legitimacy of a police officer, tell them not to be afraid of asking the officer to call again at a time when you can be present as well.”

Sophisticated scammers are geared up to intercept attempts by victims trying to confirm callers' identity and police advise is to end the call and report it if you suspect anything suspicious, or use a different phone to call 101.

Vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would NEVER ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be; NEVER ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi or by any other means and NEVER ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.