In one incident on March 7, a vulnerable victim from the Tonbridge area was persuaded to hand over more than £12,000 to people posing as the ‘Hammersmith Serious Fraud Squad’.
She received a phone call at around midday on March 6 from someone pretending to be a police officer who told her to take money out of the bank, tell no one and someone would come to collect it from her.
The victim went to the bank, withdrew the money and handed it over to a man driving a black car who appeared at her door.
Other victims, many of them elderly, have reported receiving calls from criminals purporting to be police officers from forces all over the country asking people for bank details, credit card details and to withdraw money to give them.
Detective Sergeant Marc Cananur, from Kent Police’s Volume Fraud Team, said: “Legitimate police officers would never ask members of the public to give them money or for their bank or other financial details.
“The people carrying out these frauds are the lowest of the low, preying on vulnerable victims and stealing their money.
“If anyone receives any calls of this nature, or other similar approaches, I would urge them to get in touch with Kent Police.”
If anyone has information on these incidents, call Kent Police on 01622 604100 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
