Gloucestershire police have received five reports in the past week indicating that CHELTENHAM / 01242 dialling code is being targeted by fraudsters purporting to be the police. In each report, the fraudster claimed to be a police officer from PADDINGTON investigating corrupt staff at the victim's bank. Some victims were asked to withdraw cash and purchase foreign currency, which would then be collected by a "police courier" on the victim's doorstep. Others were instructed to transfer funds into a "police bank account".

The average victim of courier fraud in Gloucestershire is 79 years old.

Please help the police raise awareness of this scam by informing your elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours. Further advice on keeping yourself safe from fraud can be found on our website at Fraud PROTECT.

Please note, the police are unable to accept reports of crime through Your Neighbourhood Alerts. You can report non-emergency crime online here. Always call 999 in an emergency.