An elderly man was conned out of £6,000 in a cold calling scam.

Police say it happened on the afternoon of Thursday, February 20, when a man in his 90s in King's Lynn received a telephone call from a man claiming to be a detective.

The caller told the victim that his bank was being investigated and as part of police enquiries, the victim needed to withdraw £6,000 in cash.

The victim was told the money would then be collected from his address in Dodman's Close the following day and taken for testing to see if it was fake.

The victim withdrew the money on Friday and returned home where later that afternoon a man purporting to be a courier collected it, using a codeword agreed in the original cold call.

PC Lee Anderton, local engagement officer, said: "This is sadly a common method used by fraudsters to encourage vulnerable victims to withdraw large sums of money from their accounts.

"Genuine police officers or staff would never approach residents and ask for cash withdrawals to be made or for people to purchase items on their behalf.

"I would ask people with vulnerable relatives, friends or neighbours to make sure they are aware of this type of scam."

Officers say never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone.

If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force.

Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can't use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check.

Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers.

If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible.

Anyone with concerns about such calls should contact Norfolk Constabulary on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.