Detectives have issued a further warning after more elderly residents have fallen victim to telephone fraud.
Offenders have targeted residents in Rishton along with other parts of East Lancashire with victims mainly in their 70s and 80s.
Police said there have been 33 reported incidents since the start of February with around £80,000 stolen.
In each instance the victim has been contacted via phone by someone purporting to be a police officer. The story used by the offenders appears to change slightly each time but all involve the caller saying that the victim has been targeted for some sort of crime relating to their bank or bank card.
The victim is asked for their bank account details or they are asked to transfer a substantial amount of money to a ‘safe’ account.
In some cases, the victim is asked to withdraw funds from the relevant account as it needs to be checked for fingerprinting by a ‘police officer’ who then attends the victim’s address and takes their money.
DC Barry James from Burnley CID, said these are ‘despicable crimes’ against ‘vulnerable, elderly victims’.
He said: “We know that this is a national problem but areas of Lancashire are continuing to be targeted with more incidents being reported since our appeal last month.
“I would like to remind people to be vigilant and if you get this type of phone call, report it to the police and/or your bank before transferring any money into another account or agreeing to hand any of your cash over.
“People who commit these offences will often target the elderly posing as officials to gain their confidence and trust. No police officer or other official body will ever ask for your bank details or would ever ask you to withdraw or transfer funds.
“If you have an elderly friend or relative, please let them know that this is happening so they can avoid becoming a potential victim.”
“If you have any information about this incident or suspect that you may have fallen victim to a similar deception then please contact the police or Action Fraud.”
