A callous conman posing over the phone as a police officer is targeting pensioners for their life savings. Police in Bolton have revealed TEN cases are being investigated in total, and have now issued an urgent warning.
Sadly, money has been handed over in two cases - with one victim conned out of £6,000. Reports have come largely from the Little Lever, Horwich and Westhoughton areas of Bolton from residents aged in their 70s and 80s.
Police revealed the conman tells potential victims that as part of a fraud investigation they need to withdraw cash from their bank account and a colleague will collect the money from them later. Sums ranging from £2,000 to £70,000 have been requested.
"The incidents so far have consisted of the offender contacting the victims from a withheld number stating that he is 'PC/DC Matthew Philips' Greater Manchester Police with a collar number of '5772'," said GMP in a statement on Monday. "Victims that have been in contact with us so far have been from the Little Lever, Horwich and Westhoughton areas of Bolton, and have been tended to be aged in their 70s and 80s.
"Unfortunately in two of the five cases, money - the most being in excess of £6,000 - has been handed over to the offender, who was said to be wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hoody.
"Our ongoing enquiries so far suggest it appears to be a national issue and that he is trying to target people that he thinks are vulnerable to this kind of crime.
"We're actively still searching for any other similar incidents that could possibly be linked to this series across Bolton and beyond - and are keen to hear from any members of the public who may have information."
Five incidents were reported to police between Monday, April 4 and Thursday, April 14, with a further five cases now revealed to have been reported between Friday, May 27 and Wednesday, June 15. GMP added: "Please remember, Police will not under any circumstances ask for you to withdraw money for any reason. Every police officer has a warrant card with photographic ID to make their identity available to members of the public."
Detective Sergeant Robert Parker, of Bolton CID, said: "We want to make local people aware again of a further five incidents that have so far been brought to our attention about a man purporting a police officer from GMP and asking for significant amounts of money to be withdrawn.
"Impersonating a police officer is illegal, but to do this to defraud innocent members of the community is an appalling offence and we are doing what we can to conduct several lines of enquiry to catch whoever is responsible for this.
"A big part of our initial investigation is to establish the full picture of this offending, and therefore I urge anyone who may think they too have been a victim of this scam to contact us online, if able, or via 101.
"I must stress that no police officer would have a reason to be randomly making contact with people and asking them to withdraw money, and if you ever have contact with someone saying they're from the police and you're unsure of their genuineness then do know you are entitled to ask for proof of identity, or can contact 101 if unsure - always call 999 in an emergency."
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