Police are reminding people to be vigilant and aware of potential scams after an elderly man was conned out of £2000.

Police received a report from a 70-year-old man living in West Ipswich that he had been contacted at approximately 9.20am on Wednesday, December 4 from a man purporting to be a police officer from Essex Police.

The caller explained to the man that he had been a victim of a scam where someone had taken £400 from his bank account.

The caller suggested that this was part of a counterfeit operation they were currently investigating.

The victim suggested he would call Essex Police to verify that this was a genuine call.

It would appear that the caller did not replace his receiver when the victim hung up, so when he dialled Essex Police the caller was still on the line and confirmed the details as if he were another representative of the force.

The man was advised to go to his bank and withdraw £7500 so they could be collected by a courier and then checked for fingerprints.

The man visited his bank and was able to withdraw £2000 which was duly bagged up.

At around 5pm, a courier in a yellow vehicle arrived at the man’s address and took the money from him.

This man has been a victim of a scam and the caller made up an elaborate story to con the man out of his money.

Enquiries have been made at Essex Police and The Metropolitan Police Service where similar scams have been reported.

Detective Chief Inspector Bernie Morgan County Policing Command for Operations in Suffolk said: “Having spoken to our colleagues in other forces it would appear that this type of scam is becoming an increasing problem.

“This is now the third scam like this reported to us in Suffolk and we want to remind people of the potential dangers.

“Vulnerable and elderly people are targeted and the callers have very convincing ways to dupe the person into believing they are genuine.

“They often leave the line open after making the call, so when the victim makes the next call to either check the caller’s identity, or call their bank; they are in fact calling back the same person.

“In some incidents fraudsters are known to play ring tones, hold music and a recorded message down the phone so the victim believes they are making a call.

“We would ask people to make sure they are aware that these scams are going on, and if you have an elderly or vulnerable relative or friend, keep an eye on them, make sure they are aware of the potential dangers and if you think you or someone you know has been a victim of one of these crimes, call the police immediately.”