Honiton couple scammed out of thousands

They were called by men claiming to be a detectives

An elderly couple in Honiton have been scammed out of thousands of pounds after they were contacted by men pretending to be detectives.

The couple received numerous calls from a withheld number, where a man claimed to a be a detective a the local police station working on a national operation to identify counterfeit money within the local area.

He told the couple he was 'recruting' them as undercover civilians to gather money to be checked.

On Wednesday 4 December, the man asked the couple to gather seven thousand euros which was later collected that evening by an unknown man. He has since been described as being Afro-Carribean.

The following day, the couple were asked to gather more money. The wife drove to several local banks and building societies to withdraw approximately eleven thousand pounds. That money was collected later that evening by a male described as being Middle Eastern.

An investigation has been launched, with officers carrying out house-to-house enquries and checking local CCTV footage.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log 50240308379.