Two vulnerable women were duped into losing more than £18,000 after being targeted by fraudsters who claimed they were acting as police officers.
A woman in her 70s reported she lost £11,500 after a man purported to be a cop, and a woman in her 60s handed over just under £7,000 in cash to a fraudster.
Both women are from Nottingham.
The first victim, the woman in her 60s, received a call on January 24 from the fraudster who claimed he was working for the Metropolitan Police.
The man requested her to withdraw large amounts of cash as part of a covert police operation and that she would get the money back.
After being told she could be arrested if she did not cooperate, the vulnerable woman was talked into withdrawing just under £7,000 in cash.
She was told the bank was under investigation and that officers needed her to withdraw the money as part of a covert evidence-gathering exercise.
During the same week, the second victim also received a call saying she was part of a covert police operation and was persuaded to buy a £11,500 Rolex watch, which was later collected from her doorstep.
In both incidents the fraudster used the same police officer's name and same phrasing, to convince the both victims to cooperate.
Fiona Price, a fraud and cyber protect officer at Nottinghamshire Police, said both victims were being supported by specialist officers having been cruelly targeted in the sophisticated scam.
She said: "We have unfortunately continued to receive reports of scammers contacting individuals via the telephone and pretending to either be police officers or bank staff.
"If you receive such a call, you should not give out any personal information and hang up immediately.
"If you are ever unsure whether the person speaking to you is a genuine police officer, please contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 and ask to speak with that officer, any police officer would not be offended by you wishing to verify their identity.
"We stress that no police officers will ever call you out of the blue asking for personal information, including bank account details.
"A police officer would never ask you to withdraw money or purchase high value items such as gold or watches as part of an investigation.
"We are urging people to share this among friends and family.
"Not everyone has access to the internet, so people do tell neighbours and relatives about these types of scams.
"If you receive a phone call like this please report it to the police immediately and inform Action Fraud."
Courier fraud is if a text, email or call is received claiming to be from, or contacting you, on behalf of a police force asking you to either click on a link or to give information such as your name, credit card or bank details.
The fraudster will then try to persuade the victim to withdraw a large sum of money and purchase gold online or to visit a named jewellers, and a courier is then sent to the victim's home address to collect the gold and money.
Calls can appear using 0115 numbers.
You can report fraud online via the Action Fraud website or on 0300 123 2040.
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