A number of elderly Roystonians have been targeted by phone scammers pretending to be police.

In one instant at about 3.40pm last Tuesday, a 63-year-old woman received a call from a man pretending to be a police officer from Cambridge, stating that her grandson was in custody and was in possession of her bank card. After asking a couple of questions about which bank cards she had, the call was then ‘transferred’ to another male who said he would send an unmarked police car to her address to make sure she was alright.

The victim became suspicious and hung up.

On the same day, at about 2pm, an 80-year-old woman was called by a man stating he was a police officer and that her grandson was in custody. The caller stated that money was needed for him to be released. The victim did not give any details and hung up.

On Thursday at about midday, a 68-year-old woman received a call from a man claiming he was a police inspector and had arrested her grandson. The victim knew this to be false and hung up.

An 86-year-old man was then called later that afternoon by a man stating he was a police officer from Cambridgeshire and that his grandson had been arrested as part of a drugs gang, luckily the victim ended the call.

Detective Inspector Luke Whinnett, who heads up Hertfordshire police’s new team dedicated to tackling phone scams, said: “Phone scams can have a devastating effect on the victims, as people often lose vast sums of money as well as their confidence and trust. Thankfully, in these instances, the victims realised that the calls were a scam and hung up without giving out personal details.”