A courier collected the money from the victim’s Swanley home address just hours after he was contacted by a man claiming to represent the Metropolitan Police.

Someone claiming to be a detective chief inspector at Hammersmith police station called the victim, who was in his late 60s, on Thursday, May 26, 2022. He was informed that his bank card had been ‘cloned,’ and he was instructed to withdraw large sums of money to aid an investigation. The victim also spoke with someone who claimed to be from his bank.

The man was contacted again after making several cash withdrawals. He was told that the money needed to be collected by a courier so that fingerprints could be taken from the bank notes in order to catch the person who had cloned his card. Around 4.45pm, someone knocked on the victim’s door and took the cash, which is estimated to be worth £8,000.

Kent Police would like to speak with the person seen in the images, and officers are asking anyone with information to call the appeals line at 01622 604100 and quote reference 46/100922/22. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555111 or through their website’s online form.

PC ‘A police force will never ask a member of the public for their bank details or money over the phone,’ said Gareth Mahoney. If you receive one of these calls, hang up right away and wait at least five minutes before using your phone to clear your line from the scammer.

Unfortunately, those who are targeted are frequently the most vulnerable, such as the elderly or victims with learning disabilities.’ It is critical that people understand how to recognise the signs of a fraudulent phone call so that their finances are not jeopardised, and I would encourage friends, neighbours, and family members to help protect those who may be particularly vulnerable to these types of scams.