BBC TV’s Rip-Off Britain started its new series featuring Surrey Police after officers worked with the show to highlight issues around courier fraud scams which target elderly and vulnerable members of society.

Police say fraudsters often impersonate a police officer from a force local to their victim and either ask their victim for help in solving a crime by purchasing high-value goods or inform their victim they have already been targeted and they need to withdraw and hand over their money in order to protect it.

Thet are only two of the most frequent tactics with other variants also being used.

Detective Inspector Antony Archibald, who appeared on the show last month, said: “Crimes which target innocent elderly and vulnerable members of our society are despicable and simply inexcusable.

“The message is simple, a police officer will never ask for your bank security details or to withdraw money or purchase goods for them, it is a scam.

“Unfortunately these offences have been around for many years and numerous people have fallen victim to these highly convincing fraudsters but we need to spread the message and stop these offences happening.

“There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scene by detectives from across the force including the Economic Crime Unit, CID and the local proactive units to establish who is responsible for these offences and to bring them to justice for their crimes.

“We all have a part to play in preventing these offences and I would ask anyone who has contact with those who may fall victim to these fraudsters to encourage them to see the show which hears first hand from a victim the impact these offences have.”

The show can be seen on the BBC iPlayer.