POLICE are urging residents to be vigilant after an elderly couple in Wiltshire received a scam call from someone pretending to be a police officer.

The man gave credible details and advised that someone had been arrested following fraudulent use of the couple's bank card.

He then asked them to go to their bank and withdraw all their money and said they would be met by officers at the bank.

He told them ring 161 for direct access to the police, then pretended to hang up, meaning that when 161 is entered, he would still be on the line.

An accomplice would then take the call and confirms details of the fraudulent usage of the card and the bank the couple needed to attend.

The couple contacted the police, who confirmed it was a scam call.

PC Kevin Payne said enquiries are ongoing into this incident.

He said: “Fortunately, no money was actually drawn out but potentially there could have been a loss of several thousand pounds for this couple, had they not reported it to police when they did.

“I'd like to remind the public to be cautious when receiving calls from banks or other institutions.

“Banks and the police will never ask for bank details over the phone, nor will they ask for passwords or PIN numbers.

“Never agree to meet anyone at a bank and be wary when asked to withdraw large sums of money.”

In the case of such scams, residents are encouraged to ring the police on 101 and check the details.

Any calls received of such a nature should be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the online reporting tool actionfraud.police.uk