Residents are warned to be aware of a scam, which has cost one Dudley resident thousands of pounds.

Dudley Council’s scams team is supporting an elderly resident after scammers tricked them into parting with £8,000.

Scammers called the resident and claimed they were from West Midlands Police and had arrested someone in possession of their bank card and they needed to help with the police investigation.

The scammers claimed there could be counterfeit money in the resident’s account and the resident needed to withdraw it in order for serial numbers to be checked. Once the resident had withdrawn the money and confirmed the serial numbers, the scammer said the money was counterfeit and a courier would need to come and collect it, leaving the resident thousands of pounds out of pocket.

While assisting with this case, the scams unit has been made aware of another attempted scam of this nature. The case is being investigated by Warwickshire Police. Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said:

"Scammers are criminals who prey on people’s vulnerability and their good nature, as seen in this case as the resident genuinely believed they were trying to help the police.

"It’s disgusting the lengths scammers will go to get their hands on other people’s money and we want to make sure as many people are aware of the type of scams happening in our borough so they can help protect themselves from being targeted. Our scams unit will continue to do all they can to bring a stop to this financial crime in our borough."

Any suspicious company or activity can be reported to the scams unit by calling 01384 818871 or via trading.standards@dudley.gov.uk.