Elderly Couple Defrauded of £16,000 by Impersonators

An elderly couple has been defrauded of thousands of pounds after being contacted by individuals posing as detectives, police have confirmed. Devon and Cornwall Police stated that the couple, residing in Honiton, received multiple phone calls from a withheld number, during which a man asserted he was an undercover detective working at the local police station. The man claimed involvement in a national operation to identify counterfeit money and indicated he was “recruiting” the victims as undercover civilians to collect funds for inspection. Officers reported they were notified of the situation after the victims surrendered over £16,000 earlier this month. According to Devon and Cornwall Police, “On Wednesday 4 December, the man asked the victim to gather €7,000 (£5,780) which was collected later that evening by an unknown man who has since been described as being Afro-Caribbean.” The following day, “On Thursday 5 December, a similar incident occurred where the victim was asked to gather more money.” The victim’s wife drove to several local banks and building societies to withdraw approximately £11,000. That evening, a different man visited the victims’ home and collected the money; he was described as being a Middle Eastern male. An investigation has been initiated, and inquiries are currently ongoing. Police have requested that anyone with information specific to this case contact 101. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.