THREE Worcestershire women have foiled fraudsters who tried to trick them into handing over their bank details.

In the latest wave of telephone scams, crooks posing as police officers contact members of the public, but three women who were called on Tuesday, March 11, refused to go along with them and frustrated the fraudsters.

A woman living in Suckley, near Malvern, was phoned by a man claiming to be at police officer at Hammersmith, London, claiming a relative had fraudulently used her bank account. The woman questioned the caller who then hung up.

On the same day, an elderly woman from Droitwich was called, also by a man posing as an officer from Hammersmith. He said her bank card had been cloned and she should call her bank. She refused and the man hung up.

A third woman from Malvern was called by a man claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police, who said a man had been arrested after spending £700 on her debit card.

He asked her to call the number on her bank card and cancel the card. When she did, she recognised the voice as the man claiming he was from the police.

DCI Sean Paley said: “In all these cases the women involved were vigilant and became suspicious. They took the right action to prevent themselves falling victim to this scam.

“These fraudsters usually state they are a police officer from London and sound very convincing. The offender asks the person to confirm the call is genuine by terminating the conversation asking them to return the call on a 'trusted number' such as the one on the back of their bank card.

“However, the offender keeps the line open by not replacing the receiver. When the householder dials the number, the line is still open to the offender. They elicit personal banking information from the victim, including PIN numbers and address details.

“The police are investigating all of these incidents but it is absolutely vital people are aware of what is happening and do not divulge personal or financial details to strangers who either phone them or come to their home,” he said.