SEVERAL vulnerable people have been conned out of thousands of pounds as part a scam by fraudsters pretending to be couriers.

Durham Police have issued a warning after a rise in the number of cases in Darlington in recent weeks, which has resulted in two arrests and some people withdrawing money on several occasions, with the belief they were helping police.

A rise in courier fraud was also reported by Cleveland Police.

In most cases of courier fraud the victim receives a telephone call from the fraudster purporting to be a police officer or from another reputable organisations such as the bank itself.

Detective Sergeant John Tyers, from Darlington CID said: “The fraudsters are very convincing however this can be prevented because we will never ask you to withdraw cash or ask you to buy expensive gifts nor will we ever ask for your bank account details.

“Collectively, we can stop this. Bank staff and building societies are encouraged to remain vigilant and look out for those individuals withdrawing large sums of money.

“We understand this can be difficult for staff as the money belongs to the individual however I ask that if it appears suspicious, please call us and allow our officers to attend and ask the relevant questions which perhaps may save that person thousands of pounds.

“I also want to ask the younger generation to spread this important message with their parents and grandparents – we all have a role to play in protecting the vulnerable.”

The person on the phone purports to be a police officer or from another reputable organisations such as the bank itself and tends to be "very convincing," police said. They ask the victim to attend their local bank to withdraw a large amount of cash and to return home where it will be collected by a police courier for examination.

On occasion, victims will be asked to buy expensive gifts such as a Rolex watch which will also be collected - the courier is of course also involved in the scam. They are also sometimes conned into revealing their PIN and credit or debit card details.

Fraud can be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or to police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency