QUICK thinking bank staff protected a pensioner from scammers trying to pocket £10,000 of his hard-earned cash.

Concerned staff from Lloyds Bank in Sunderland raised the alarm after an 87-year-old man visited the branch in an attempt to transfer a lump sum last Tuesday.

When quizzed by a cashier who was concerned for his welfare, the man claimed he needed to transfer the money to a family member.

However it soon transpired he had been cold-called by a con-artist purporting to be from the fraud team at the bank and advised to transfer his savings to a ‘safe’ account after dubious activity on his account.

Officers immediately attended and spoke to the man, who had been completely unaware of the scam.

Chief Inspector Paul Walters said: “Sadly frauds of this nature are becoming increasingly common as criminals desperately try to make money by preying on the elderly and the vulnerable.

“What’s despicable about crimes like this is that they manipulate people’s fears and coerce them into giving their savings to the very people they are trying to protect them from.”