An elderly woman was tricked into withdrawing thousands of pounds from a bank by men claiming to be officers from the Met Police's fraud squad.

The scam happened in Seal at around 2.40pm last Thursday, and police are now warning others to be wary.

The victim was told she had been a victim of fraud and had several conversations with people who claimed they were officers working in the 'Serious Fraud Squad’.

They reassured her they would stop the fraud and even passed her through a verification process to make her believe they were genuine.

The woman was asked to withdraw a large quantity of money from her bank, which the fraudsters said would be used to catch the criminals inside the bank.

The victim withdrew the money and was told to put it into a brown envelope along with her card and was told that a courier would arrive to collect the cash and would say a password so she knew who the man was.

She was also asked to write down her PIN. The courier arrived and took her money.

Kent Police is reminding residents that no force would ever ask a member of the public for their bank details, or money, over the phone.

People are advised to end such calls immediately, and wait five minutes before using their phones again to clear the line.

If you are unsure if an officer is genuine, ask to take their details and end the call. You can then call 101 – or 999 in an emergency - to verify whether the caller was genuine.

If you have any information about such scams, call Kent Police on 01622 604100 quoting 05-0138 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by clicking clicking here.