A bogus detective who tried to con a man into handing over £7,000 was foiled when genuine police intervened.

The victim, a man in his 80s, was told to withdraw the cash from a bank in Brentwood on Tuesday October 21.

He had received a telephone call from a man claiming to be a Metropolitan Police detective who said that his bank account had been infiltrated by thieves and cash was needed for forensic examination.

The man set off by bus from his home in a village near Brentwood, but his wife was worried about him and later phoned her daughter for advice. The daughter was aware of hundreds of similar scams having happened across the UK and dialled 999 at 11.31am.

Sgt Terry Fisher who was on patrol in Brentwood rushed to the High Street bank on an emergency response, arriving at 11.39am - just as the man was walking out with a large packet containing the cash.

Sgt Fisher explained that the caller had been a fraudster, queued with him until the money was paid back into the bank, then gave him a lift home.

The family cannot be identified but the daughter said she was ‘extremely grateful’ to Essex Police for preventing the money from falling into the hands of thieves.

In a similar incident at Brentwood on Monday, October 20, a woman received a phone call from a man posing as a DCI in the Met Police. He said that the woman’s bank account had been infiltrated by a thief and that cash from the account had to be checked in case it was counterfeit. The woman withdrew £4,800 which was collected from her home by a courier.

DCI Paul Maleary said: "These two incidents show how ruthless,cunning and convincing these tricksters are. They are the lowest of the low.

"In the first incident the man’s daughter realised immediately what was wrong and dialled 999 immediately. Eight minutes later her father was being helped by Sgt Fisher and the money was safely returned to the bank account. It was excellent work by Sgt Fisher and the controller who took the call at the Essex Police control room.

"This case is a graphic example of how family members need to look after elderly relatives and ensure that they are aware of these scams.

"Sadly in the second case the victim was tricked and the scam was not reported to police until about six hours later.

"We have been making inroads into the organised crime gangs carry out these crimes and numerous arrests have been made. At a recent trial a man was jailed for five years for his part in a case at Buckhurst Hill.

"It is absolutely vital that people are reminded that your bank and the police would:

• NEVER ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.

• NEVER ask you to withdraw money and send it to them.

• NEVER ask you to send them your bank cards or any other personal property”

More than 800 similar thefts and attempted thefts have been reported in Essex since the scam first came to light in January 2013, and similar crimes have been reported in the Met Police area and other counties. More than 140 people in Essex have been tricked out of money and the total stolen is more than £450,000.