In the past couple of weeks we have seen a rise in the number of phone scams reported to police.

The majority of the incidents have occurred across Three Rivers and have seen two victims lose thousands of pounds.

Traditionally phone scammers contact elderly residents and pretend to be a police officer or member of bank staff. They then tell the victim that their account has been compromised in some way and ask the victim to withdraw large sums of cash from the bank so it can be examined as part of their investigation. This cash is then collected by a courier under the pretence it will be returned at a later date.

Scammers may also ask victims to hand their bank cards over to a courier, along with their PIN details.

While many victims recognise it is a scam and refuse to hand over cash or bank details, other residents across the county have sadly lost their life savings thanks to the actions of these callous groups.

These fraudsters can be highly convincing and we want to remind people to remain vigilant around unexpected phone calls. We are doing all we can to get the message out about these scams and I would urge people to please speak with relatives, friends and neighbours, particularly the elderly, to warn them about the tactics these scammers employ.

Police and banks would never ask you to withdraw money and hand it over to a courier. They would also never ask you to divulge PIN details. If you receive a call you have suspicions about, do not hesitate to hang up and contact police.

Remember, when reporting a suspicious phone call to police, wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call or use a mobile or neighbour’s phone to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender.

Several arrests and convictions have already been made and our specialist investigation team within the constabulary’s Operation Manhunt unit is continuing to target fraudsters and bring them to justice. But, we need your help to keep spreading the word about these disgraceful scams to ensure that more people don’t fall victim.

Remember - the police and banks would:

• Never ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be.

• Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi or by any other means.

• Never ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.

• Never ask you to transfer money from one account to another over the telephone.

For more information visit www.herts.police.uk/PhoneScams