Devon and Cornwall Police are warning South Hams residents to beware of scammers impersonating bank fraud departments.

A police spokesperson said: "Current research is showing that scammers are somehow mimicking the telephone numbers of bank fraud departments, so that when the victim checks the caller ID and compares the number against the one printed on the back of their credit cards, the numbers are the same.

"Examples so far:

0467 02/06/2021 –Barclays bank number mimicked. Victim lost £27,000

0290 01/06/2021 – First Direct number mimicked. Victim lost around £30,000

0578 01/06/2021 – Lloyds number mimicked. Victim lost around £25,000

"Residents are asked to exercise caution when receiving phone calls of this type. Avoid dialling numbers printed on the back of cards, if in doubt where possible check with your local branch for updates of your account."