Bogus police officers con OAP out of �28k

Published: 2:16 PM October 13, 2009 Updated: 8:23 PM October 11, 2020

FRAUDSTERS posing as police officers have struck in Essex nearly 70 times in six weeks - and even conned a pensioner out of �28,000, police revealed today.

Elderly people have been urged to be on their guard against the conmen, who trick their victims into revealing their bank details.

The fake policemen have targeted 69 people since the start of September, including more than 20 in the past two days, and were successful at least five times. In the worst case, in Chelmsford on Monday, �28,000 was taken from the bank account of a woman in her eighties.

The tricksters are posing as Metropolitan Police fraud officers and tell their victims that their bank accounts have been entered by fraudsters.

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A potential victim is then asked to give a PIN number over the telephone and leave the bank cards in an envelope outside the front door or halfway through the letterbox so that they can be collected later. The cards are then picked up and with the PIN number they are used to withdraw large sums of cash.

Chris Willis, a Territorial Policing inspector, based at Essex Police Headquarters, said: “We all need to work together to combat these despicable people who are preying on the more vulnerable and also genuine and trusting members of our communities.”