Cold callers have been conning residents on Teesside into giving out their bank details and stealing cash from their accounts. Cleveland Police fraud squad said the scam involved bogus officials ringing or turning up on doorsteps pretending to be from utility firms.
They are then tricking victims into giving out their bank details for unpaid electricity and gas bills.
Police are warning locals to check out all cold callers.
Large sums
Fraud squad officer, Det Con Dawn Naughton, said: "In some instances, a caller will ring up stating the householder hasn't paid their utility bill and asks for bank details over the phone to pay the outstanding amount.
"In other cases, someone has knocked on the door with a similar story.
"Once they have the details, large sums of cash have been withdrawn from the bank holder's account - often using a 'card not present' system, either over the telephone or internet to make their purchases."
Police are urging people to put a check call into the company the caller claims to be from before divulging details.
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