TELEPHONE scammers have targeted an elderly couple in Marlborough by posing as a detective inspector from Scotland Yard.

Police have warned residents to be alert to telephone scams after a woman, 77 and her husband, 85 were told to hand over large amounts of cash.

An unknown caller tried to coerce money from them, by phoning the couple at home and pretending to be a Detective Inspector from Scotland Yard.

He said the victims’ bank statements had been found in a criminal investigation he was carrying out and that money needed to be withdrawn from their bank account so that their fingerprints could be taken from it.

The caller then explained that a plain-clothed courier from London would come to their address to pick up the cash. Around the same time, calls purporting to be from Nationwide came through confirming the original caller’s story.

PC Ryan Churchley, from Devizes Community Policing Team, said: “We are warning all residents to remain vigilant as fraudsters will go to extraordinary lengths and scams are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. In this case the caller pretended to be a police inspector to gain the victims’ trust and to force them to hand over cash.

“Several calls were received about this incident late into the evening and the callers stayed on the line in order to stop any outgoing calls.

“This particular incident has left the elderly victims shaken and feeling unsafe in their own home. If you have elderly relatives, neighbours or friends, please speak to them about this scam so they are aware. The police would never telephone about an incident like this or ask for money to assist an investigation. Also remember never to divulge any personal bank details to anyone over the phone.”

If you receive a call of this nature, please record as much detail as possible and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the online reporting tool: www.actionfraud.police.uk