Police are urging people to be vigilant after a spate of scam phone calls targeting the elderly.

Criminals have been ringing up people, the majority of whom are retired, in Stevenage and North Herts pretending to be police officers or from a bank.

They then request information and items that can be used to extract money and send couriers to the victim’s houses to collect them.

More than 100 people have reported suspicious calls in the county since the beginning of the year, including residents from Stevenage, Letchworth GC and Hitchin in the past week.

In response, Herts police have launched Operation Policy to catch the scammers.

Detective Inspector Jason Keane, who is leading the operation, said: “Of these 100 calls, nine people have actually handed over their bank cards or cash, so most people are taking the correct action and saying no on the phone.

“However there are still people who have fallen for this scam, and the victims are deeply affected when they realise the call was not legitimate. It is so important that we make many people aware that this is taking place, and I would ask people to ensure their older relatives, neighbours and friends are aware.

“It could be your parent or grandparent targeted so we would ask that you remind them that police officers would not ask people to reveal their personal bank account details, including PIN numbers. And we would never ask someone to withdraw money.”

If you have received a suspicious phone call ring the police non-emergency number on 101.