POLICE are hunting a man after a vulnerable victim in his eighties was conned out of 'a substantial amount of money' by courier.

Thames Valley Police said the elderly victim, from Ascot, was phoned by someone claiming to be a police officer on December 18 about 10.30am.

The callers said they were working on an investigation that involved a local bank branch.

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After a number of calls, the victim was told to withdraw money from his bank account and hand it over to a courier.

A man came to his home in Station Hill, Ascot, to collect the money between 4.45pm and 5.45pm on the same day.

Police have today put out CCTV footage to track down a man in connection with the courier fraud.

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Investigating officer, PC Dominik Lennard, based at Maidenhead police station, said: “I am appealing to anyone who has information that could assist with this investigation to get in touch.

“If you recognise the man in this CCTV video, or believe it could be you, please come forward.

If you have any information which may assist with the investigation, or saw anything suspicious in the area, contact police by calling 101 quoting reference number 43190395136

Thames Valley Police have issued the following advice:

  • Never tell anyone your PIN number.
  • Never give personal information or bank account details to anyone over the phone
  • Never hand over your card, money or valuables to someone at the door.
  • If someone comes to your door claiming to be a police officer, always ask to see their identification. Close the door and call 101 to check they are genuine.
  • If you are unsure if the call is genuine, hang up and call a friend or family member and talk things through with them.
  • If you get a call from your bank or the police, make sure you know who the person is before handing over any personal details. You can do this by calling your bank (the number on the back of your card) or the police (101). Always call back on a different phone line. Scammers can keep phone lines open after pretending to hang up. So while you think you’re making a new phone call, the line is still open to the scammer, who pretends to be someone from your bank or the police.