Police are warning people to stay vigilant after reports of a fraud where offenders pose as officers over the phone to get money.

Three people are reported to have been targeted between July 18 and July 20, with two reports received from Chatham and one in Gillingham.

A further incident is believed to have taken place in West Kingsdown on June 21.

In each case the victims were cold called by a person claiming to be from either Kent Police’s fraud department or the Met Police, based at Charing Cross.

They then said there had been fraudulent activity in their bank accounts, either with items being illegally purchased or with bank transactions being deleted from their statements.

Victims were told the bank was involved with the scam and subsequently told to withdraw a large sum of money.

It was then arranged for a courier to collect the money from their address as the notes were ‘counterfeit’. Money was handed to the thieves in two of these four cases.

'Remember that we will never instruct you to withdraw money over the phone' - DI Annie Clayton

DI Annie Clayton, from Kent Police, said: “These fraudsters tend to target the most vulnerable members of our society, in particular the elderly, and do come across as very plausible on the phone.

“They may even know some of your personal details, such as a name or an address – details that are easy to obtain from a phonebook.

“Remember that we will never instruct you to withdraw money over the phone. If you are ever suspicious of a call, hang up immediately and wait five minutes to ensure your line is clear.

“You can then call us on 101 to report the suspicious activity, or clarify whether you had actually been contacted by us.”

Anyone who has information that may help is asked to contact Kent Police on 01634 792209 quoting reference SI/XY/6990/17 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Alternatively contact Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.