POLICE have stepped up a scam awareness campaign after revealing that North Yorkshire pensioners were conned out of more than £2million last year.

Latest figures show that in 2016, there were 2,467 reported incidents of fraud across the county and in more than 1,000 of those cases, the victim was aged 70 or over.

Scammers have become increasingly inventive and there are a range of telephone cons being used such as offering bogus timeshare deals, pension frauds and computer software scams.

North Yorkshire Police are concerned at the number of victims, particularly the elderly, that are being taken in by conmen and have issued guidelines to help residents avoid falling prey.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Hodgeon, head of fraud and economic crime at North Yorkshire Police, said: “The loss by over 70s in North Yorkshire due to fraud in 2016 totalled to more than two and a half million pounds.

“This is a colossal amount of money and it is extremely worrying that fraudsters are targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and tricking them for their criminal gain.

“The fraudsters who operate these scams are highly organised and very adept in convincing people that they are legitimate.

“They often use clever tactics to gain personal information from the victim, which they will then use to convince the victim that they can be trusted.”

Det Chf Insp Hodgeon said that officers will be visiting older residents over the coming weeks to give anti-fraud advice.

They will also be handing out a credit card-sized sticker for residents to place on their phones or somewhere prominent to remind them to be aware of this increasing type of crime.

Det Chf Insp Hodgeon added: “We are also appealing to families and friends of the elderly.

“It is really important you help to ensure that they are vigilant against this type of crime.

“Make sure they are aware of these scams and how they can try and prevent it.”