A warning has been issued after County Durham residents have been targeted with a 'fake police' phone scam that has been sweeping through the region.
The scam calls, which are fraudulently from the Metropolitan Police, are coming through to people, who then ask people for their bank details and say they are investigating fraud offences.
Following several reports of the scam calls - Durham Police has now issued a warning, especially to vulnerable residents and family members that live in County Durham.
The warning from Durham Police reads: "Please be aware that scammers are operating in our area.
"We have been made aware that people are receiving phone calls from fake 'officers' pretending to be from the Metropolitan Police Service.
"These 'officers' have been asking residents for bank account details and state they are investigating fraud offences in their area. This is NOT true."
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The police force went on to say that they are investigating the incidents and hope to catch those responsible soon.
The warning adds: "Please make sure you let any vulnerable family members know this and report any incidents like this to Durham Police.
"Officers are currently conducting enquiries, but in the meantime, we don't want anyone to fall foul of this scam while we hunt for those responsible."
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