Bogus police officer cons elderly Huddersfield woman out of tens of thousands of pounds

A fraudster conned an elderly woman out of tens of thousands of pounds by posing as a police officer.

The man called the victim, a woman from Huddersfield, in November claiming to investigate financial fraud.

He built her trust through a number of calls over several hours and eventually gained access to her banking details, West Yorkshire Police said.

He then met her in person and convinced her to hand over the cash.

Det Con Callum Wallace, of Kirklees District CID, said: “This was a despicable offence in which the suspect preyed on an elderly and vulnerable female victim, gained her trust, and then abused that trust to defraud her for what are very significant sums of money.

The force has released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to. They say he is believed to frequent Manchester city centre, Leeds city centre and the Trafford Shopping Centre in Manchester.

He is Asian, around 6ft tall, stocky and has dark curly hair.

Det Con Wallace added: “I would urge residents to be vigilant to this type of offence. The police or other official persons, including staff from your own bank, will never ask for your account details over the phone in a cold call."

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