The man in his 80s is amongst two local elderly people to have been targeted by fraudsters. He has spoken out to warn others from becoming victims.

Dorset Police received a report that on Wednesday 25 May the man received a call from someone claiming to be from his bank. They told him he needed to move his money into another account and persuaded him to send £2,500 to an address in the London area.

After the fraud was reported, officers were able to intercept the delivery and return the funds to the victim. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

The man said: “I answered the phone and because they were so clear about my account, I thought this has to be the bank.

“For some reason I just carried on and did it. After a while – at around 1am the next morning I just started thinking this is not right. I called the police and they said they would look into it straight away.”

The victim said he would urge anyone who has any doubts about a call to challenge the caller and take steps to validate their identity. He also added that he was pleased he reported the matter to police soon after the incident and that, thanks to the swift response by officers, he was able to get his money back.

He said: “What I would say is if you have got a similar call, say to them can you give me a number to call back on and then go into your bank and see if they have any information on it.

“I’m really pleased I got in touch with the police. I think anybody else that has the same thing like that, and makes the mistake of answering the call and doing what they say, I would say get in touch with the police straight away.

“I felt so stupid but at the time it was so convincing, it’s hard to believe they came across so positive and had everything spot on.

“I just wonder how they got my details.”

A further report was received on Wednesday 8 June that another elderly man in Poole was targeted by scammers who called him and pretended to be from his bank. They persuaded him to send £4,350 to an address in London, which officers from Dorset Police were able to recover and return to the victim.

Detective Sergeant Jane Millard, of Dorset Police’s Fraud Triage Team, said: “We will carry out a full investigation into reports of this nature or refer them to Action Fraud where appropriate.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge members of the public to be vigilant and make sure elderly relatives are aware of this scam. Your bank should never ask you to withdraw large sums of money and send it to a postal address.

“If you have any doubts about the validity of someone who contacts you claiming to be from your bank or another organisation, take their details then ring back through a listed number and ask to speak to that individual, or go into your local branch.”

If you believe you or someone you know has been the victim of fraud, please report it to Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact, email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or call 101. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk.

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.