POLICE are urging the public to trust their instincts after an elderly man from Stourport was conned out of £300 by telephone fraudsters, claiming to be from the police.

PC Tony Hunt, of West Mercia Police, who is investigating the incident, said: "Don't trust anyone who calls you about your bank details, especially late at night.

"Always hang up and if you want to check they are legitimate, find their number via directory enquiries and call them back.

"If they are genuine, you should be able to get through to them. You can also check what they are saying is true with your bank."

The incident is believed to have occurred around 8.30pm on Monday, April 16 by fraudsters who told him they were the police, and that his bank account had been compromised.

They told him they had been investigating and they needed the man to surrender his bank card and pin number.

The man said he wouldn't do that so they told him they had cleared it with his son and the son had said it was ok.

They told him to put the bank card under the door mat as it was late. They collected it straight away.

The card was used at Tesco in Stourport to withdraw £300 at around 11.30pm.

The elderly man rang his son to let him know, alerting him to the scam and the son went around to support him.

The elderly man is described as very shaken by his experience and was visibly shaking when he realised it was a scam.

PC Hunt said: "The scams are very elaborate and very convincing and cruel. If you think someone is trying to scam you, tell someone straight away.

"Don't be pressured. Give yourself time to stop and think. Please remember the police will never contact you asking for your bank card or cash. If they do, it's a scam - report it immediately."

A similar incident that occurred in Kidderminster on Monday, April 16 just before 10pm is being investigated by PC Ryan Bridgewood.

Fortunately a neighbour saw a young man approach the address of an elderly female and went around to check on her.

He discovered her on the phone to the fraudsters and, although the bank cards had already been taken from under her door mat, he managed to help her before any money was taken from her account.

The fraudsters told her they were from Steele House Lane police station.

PC Hunt said: "We are doing a lot to tackle these scams including working with other agencies.

"For example an increasing number of bank staff are trained to spot the signs of a scam and raise the alarm.

"We are asking the public to talk to people, particularly elderly relatives or neighbours and to tell them about these cases and ask them not to trust anyone who asks them for their bank details."

Officers are offering the following advice to help people avoid falling victim to telephone fraud.

No legitimate bank, building society, police officer, or business will ever ask for a debit or credit card, PIN, or cash.

Do not provide any personal details. Then report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040.

If the crime is still in progress, or the caller has arranged for someone to visit an address to collect items, call the police to report this on 101.

In an emergency dial 999.