A conman posing as a police officer from the Met stole cash from a pensioner in Tunbridge Wells.

The telephone scammer convinced the victim that their bank card had been fraudulently used and instructed them to withdraw cash.

They were then told to leave the money in a specific location.

The pensioner followed the instructions and the cash was taken by the fraudster.

As a result of the scam, police are urging residents in west Kent to be vigilant.

Inspector Mark Stubberfield said: "Residents should be immediately suspicious of any callers who make contact by phone and say they work for the police and require them to hand over their bank cards or money.

"Often, these conmen will try and alarm you by saying there has been fraudulent activity on your bank account, or they have arrested someone using a cloned card in your name. Their purpose is to win your trust by sounding very plausible, and then convincing you they are helping to keep your cash safe.

"A police force will never ask a member of the public for their bank details or money over the phone and if you receive one of these calls end it immediately."

Police state:

• Never hand over any money, or other items, to a courier after receiving this type of call
• If you are not confident a person claiming to be a police officer is genuine, ask to take their details and then end the call
• Wait for at least five minutes for the call to clear and then contact 101, or 999 in an emergency. A call handler will be able to verify whether your caller was genuine

Anybody with information regarding the Tunbridge Wells scam is urged to call 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/146508/22.