Fraudsters attempt to trick Lancashire residents into withdrawing ‘significant amounts of money’

Police said they were investigating three offences of attempted fraud which took place in East Lancashire on Friday, September 1.

All three incidents involved “vulnerable victims” being tricked into withdrawing “significant amounts of money” from their bank accounts.

In one of the cases, the caller fraudulently claimed to be from the police and used a spoofed police telephone number.

Bank staff prevented any money from being withdrawn and contacted the police in all three incidents.

The first incident happened in Blackburn at 1.27pm, the second in Accrington at 1.33pm and the third in Rawtenstall at 2.09pm.

Officers said no arrests had been made and enquiries were ongoing.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “It is important to stress that genuine police officers will never ask for your bank details or money.

“If you get a phone call from someone saying they are from the police or the bank do not provide your account details or hand over any cash.

“If you are ever unsure about the identity of an officer, always us on 101.

“We would also ask that the public check in on their relatives or elderly neighbours and if they are unsure or suspicious of anything, then us on 101.”