SCAMMERS posing as police officers have fleeced elderly people in Gwent of more than £40,000 this week.

Gwent Police has issued a statement reminding people that the force – or any other police force - will never call anyone asking for money.

More than £26,000 was stolen from an elderly couple in Newport while more than £14,000 was stolen from an 88-year-old Monmouthshire woman this week.

The fraudsters have been running a scam where they claim to be police officers. In both cases, the people pretended they were from Hertfordshire Police and the National Crime Agency.

Gwent Police explain how this is a ‘national courier fraud scam’ and criminals use a number of different strategies from claiming there is fraudulent activity on the victim’s bank account and that to unfreeze the account, they would have to transfer or withdraw money.

MORE NEWS:

There will usually be another fraudster pretending to be a police officer, they will collect the cash from the victim’s house to “keep it safe”. They ask the victims to not tell family or the bank what the money is for due to the ‘undercover investigation’.

In the scam, the fraudsters encourage the victim to ring 999 or 101 to check the ‘legitimacy of the call’ but when they do call, the fraudsters leave the line open, allowing for the call to be answered by another criminal accomplice.

Gwent Police urge anyone who receives these kind of calls to hang up and contact the force on 101 or if it is an emergency, to contact 999.

Detective inspector Louise Cruci said: “I cannot stress enough how sophisticated and well-rehearsed these scammers are. Our message is clear – the police, government agencies or banks will never ask you to disclose personal information, bank details or demand payments.

“I would urge all residents to share this message and raise awareness of this scam particularly with elderly relatives or more vulnerable members of the community.

“Officers have been working with local banks and the local authority to raise awareness of this scam and to report any suspicious activity.

“If you receive any calls of this nature – they are a scam – please hang up and call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”