AN elderly woman has been conned out of £10,000 after taking a call from a man claiming to be from 'Barclays fraud investigation team'.

He told her that her account was at risk and that she needed to transfer her money to a more 'safe' account in order to protect it.

The man was convincing enough to persuade the woman to go to her bank and transfer the money to the fake account.

The incident was reported to police on February 27 and enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible and try and get the money back.

Officers are issuing an urgent warning to people not to transfer any money to people they don't know and to be aware of these type of scam calls.

Northumbria Police said: "Banks, building societies or any other official agency will never ring you and ask you to transfer money like this.

"Never disclose your PIN or online / telephone banking log-in information or card reader codes to anyone, even if the caller claims to be from the bank or police.

"If you receive a call requesting your PIN, card details or online / telephone banking log-in information, end the call immediately.

"If you receive a suspicious or unexpected call, always verify the caller by taking their phone number and getting it checked independently.

"Ensure elderly relatives and neighbours are aware of the fraud and crime prevention advice."