PEOPLE in the Yate area are being urged to be cautious after a resident received a bogus call from someone claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police.

Officers from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary were alerted to the incident on Tuesday (May 6) by the victim who became suspicious.

The caller purported to be from the Metropolitan Police, saying that they had picked up someone who had the resident’s cloned bank cards in their possession and that an officer was en route to collect the cards. They were told not to contact their bank or to try online banking.

The victim was told that the cloned card had been used to withdraw £800 from his account – he quickly logged on to internet banking and saw that this was not the case.

The incident was on the same day as a similar call to another elderly resident in Bristol who also became suspicious, hung up and called the police.

Investigating officer Barrie Douglas, from Avon and Somerset’s serious crime group, said: “In both incidents, the victims did the right thing when they became suspicious – they hung up the phone and called the police. They waited until they could hear a dialling tone or used a different phone to call us on, to ensure that the criminals weren’t still connected to the line.

“It shows that the more we talk about this scam, the more people are made aware of it and the less likely they are to become victims. Please spread the word to your relatives, neighbours, colleagues and friends, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable.”

He added: “Remember, the police and the banks will never ask you for banking details or PIN numbers on the phone. Similarly, they would never send a so-called ‘courier’ to collect bank cards or money.”