In one case, a Camborne man in his 60s was telephoned on June 19th by a fake detective inspector from Scotland Yard claiming that someone had tried to access his bank account several times.
He was duped into transferring a substantial amount of money into a 'secure bank account' before he realised the call was a scam.
A 96-year-old woman was contacted in Truro on June 11th but she put the phone down without giving any bank details or money.
A man in supported living in Redruth was phoned by the fraudsters on June 17th but he was wise to the scam thanks to previous police warnings and he put the phone down.
Police are warning people in Cornwall, particularly older residents, to remain vigilant, to not go along with the scam and to report any attempts to police.
According to officers, the offenders are targeting older people across Cornwall as part of a national scam which is commonly known as a 'courier fraud'.
In many cases a person claiming to be a police officer from the Metropolitan Police will contact an elderly or vulnerable victim by telephone and inform them that their bank card has been used fraudulently.
The name DC Adams from Hammersmith police station is commonly given. The victim will then be tricked into thinking they are being put through to their bank.
The victim will then disclose banking information and will be instructed to attend the local branch of their bank to withdraw a sum of money and pass it to either a local taxi firm or to a courier sent by fraudsters.
Often elderly victims are unwittingly defrauded of their entire life savings, being left distraught and traumatised in many cases.
Anyone with any information about this fraud can contact police on 101, quoting Op Fardel crime reference CR/072154/14.
