An elderly man from East Hampshire was conned out of £12,000 after fraudsters posing as police officers targeted him in a courier scam.

Police have issued a warning following the incident, which happened on Wednesday, May 6 and the following day, and was reported on Sunday, May 10.

The victim, a man in his 80s from Petersfield, received a cold call from someone claiming to be a police officer based in Petersfield investigating fraud linked to a travel agency in the town.

The caller persuaded the man to withdraw £6,000 to assist with the supposed investigation. A courier later visited his home to collect the cash.

The victim was then contacted again and convinced to withdraw a further £6,000 from the Post Office, which was also collected by the same courier.

He later realised he had been scammed and contacted police.

Officers said they were aware of four similar incidents in the past two weeks – three in Petersfield and one in Winchester – although in those cases no money was handed over because the victims recognised the scam and reported it.

Police are investigating whether the incidents are linked, and are also examining possible connections to a courier fraud in Andover in which a woman in her 70s handed over cash after being contacted by a bogus police officer.

Police Staff Investigator Barbara Bundy, from the Economic Crime Investigation Team, said: “Courier fraud scammers prey on often vulnerable people to hand over their money. They sometimes claim to be police officers, or from a bank, or another local agency.

“To be clear, we will never call people in this way and ask them to withdraw money. If someone is doing so, then it is a scam. Please don’t speak to them. Hang up straight away.”

Ms Bundy said one “concerning aspect” of the Petersfield incident was that the victim was told to dial 999 while remaining on the call to verify the caller’s identity.

“The call did not disconnect and another scammer then came on the line and claimed that the first caller was genuine,” she said.

“Our advice is to hang up as soon as possible, wait five minutes, and make sure the call has disconnected. Use another phone if necessary to report the incident.”

Police are urging residents to remain vigilant and speak to trusted friends or relatives before handing over money or personal information.

They stressed that neither police nor banks would ever send a courier to collect cash, bank cards, PIN numbers or valuables from someone’s home.

Anyone who believes they have been targeted by fraud should call police on 101. Crimes in progress should be reported by dialling 999.

More information about fraud prevention and reporting is available via the Report Fraud website