Bogus police officer duped Cheltenham man of £7,000
A 79-year-old man from Cheltenham has been conned into handing over £7,000 to fraudsters.
The victim was called by a man claiming to be "Sgt Mark Gibson from the Metropolitan Police".
He was told he needed to withdraw the money from his bank account as "evidence" as the "bank was due to be raided on Monday".
Gloucestershire Police said a number of similar incidents have been reported in Cheltenham and in the Cotswolds.
A force spokesman said the victim was told to ring 101 to confirm "Sgt Gibson" was a genuine officer.
"However the offender kept the line open, so when the victim called 101 he was still connected to the offender who told him that Sgt Mark Gibson was real.
"The victim withdrew £7,000 from his bank and a taxi driver arrived and picked the cash up.
"Police will never ask for items to be sent by courier or taxi and banks will never ask for personal details either by phone or email," he added.