Elderly Devon man scammed out of thousands by cold caller pretending to be police

An elderly man in Devon has been scammed out of thousands of pounds by a cold caller who pretended to be a police officer.

The man, in his 80s, handed over £25,000 to a phone scammer, prompting a warning from Devon and Cornwall Police.

The force said it had received "an increased number of calls" about a scam over the past few weeks, particularly in the south Devon area.

Officers said the scammers pretended to be from the police in London, warning people about cloned bank cards and asked victims to transfer money for safety.

The victims were told that they would be reimbursed later.

Police are warning people to never give "any personal information" and to hang up straight away.

Detective Inspector Daniel Parkinson said: “We will never contact people to ask that they transfer money from an account to aid an investigation or request banking information.

“If anyone does this get this type of request, it is a scam.”

“Fraudsters often target geographical areas where they know elderly or vulnerable people live.

"So we are asking that if you have family or friends who are vulnerable in any way, that you make them aware of this warning.”