Northamptonshire residents scammed by bogus police

Fraudsters posing as police have contacted people in a bid to convince them to transfer a "large" amount of cash from their bank.

The scam saw eight residents in Northamptonshire called last week by bogus officers claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police.

Most victims became suspicious, but two people fell foul of the fraud and had couriers attend their addresses.

One handed over a bank card, while another parted with cash.

Northamptonshire Police said five offences were reported in Kettering, two in Corby and one in Daventry.

The caller used a variety of different names, but in four of the cases the name Det Con Morris was used.

He claimed to be from Paddington Green Police Station, Hammersmith Police Station, Charing Cross Police Station or New Scotland Yard.

A police spokesman said the fraudster rang the homes and said the Met had a suspect who was using the victim's bank card to make purchases.

"The caller then asked the victim to check if the card was still in their possession, and if so, he stated that the suspect must have a cloned card," he said.

"Victims are often also told that corrupt bank staff are suspected of involvement, and the victim's cash in their account is being replaced with counterfeit notes.

"The victim is asked to attend their bank and make a large cash withdrawal so that the 'officer' can confirm if the withdrawn cash is indeed counterfeit."