Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Pensioners conned out of £15,000
TWO pensioners have been conned out of £15,000 by evil fraudsters pretending to be police officers.
A couple in their 80s were only spared from also becoming victims after bank staff at NatWest in Midsomer Norton alerted police.
A spokesman from Avon and Somerset Police said their officers in Bath and North East Somerset were investigating three alleged offences in the past week.
He said: “On Monday, a 75-yearold man from Bath was scammed out of £10,000 after fraudsters called him up and posed as police officers. They managed to trick him into withdrawing the money, which was then picked up by a courier. In a second incident on Tuesday, a couple in their eighties from Peasedown St John received a call from a fraudster posing as a bank official. They were told to withdraw money from their account at NatWest in Midsomer Norton, but staff at the branch alerted police before any money could be taken out.
“A third incident happened on Wednesday in which a 73-year-old woman from Bath was conned after receiving a call from a fraudster claiming to be from the fraud squad. The caller claimed the victim was in possession of counterfeit money and they’d send someone to pick it up. The victim handed over more than £5,000.”
Detective Sergeant Chris Surgey said: “Our message is please don’t discuss your finances with anyone who calls you out of the blue, even if they say they are from the police or your bank. Genuine callers will never ask you to hand over cash, your bank card, or your PIN.”