A couple have described how they were tricked out of £24,600 during a complex two-day series of telephone frauds by thieves posing as detectives.

Mrs and Mrs A, who are both in their 70s and live in the Blackmore area, are among the latest Essex victims of fraudsters who take bank cards, cash or other valuables claiming they are needed as part of a police investigation.

They were asked to withdraw money from three bank accounts and handed over a total of £12,700 after being told the cash would be examined forensically as part of an investigation into fraud at the bank.

As part of the same ‘investigation’ they were asked to use one of their bank cards to buy a £11,250 Rolex watch at a store at Lakeside.

Couriers were sent three times to their home to pick up the cash and watch. They were also asked to send their bank cards and PIN numbers so that they could be destroyed.

It was not until a day later that their bank contacted them to confirm suspicious use of their cards and that £600 had been taken. They then realised that the whole story was an elaborate fraud.

Mrs A said the first contact came on Monday October 13 when a caller claiming to be DC Charlie Mitchell of Essex Police said their accounts had been accessed as part of a fraud.

He put the couple in touch with a woman claiming to be DC Rachel Letchford of the Metropolitan Police. During numerous phone calls to their home she claimed that a major fraud was being carried out at a bank and a currency exchange bureau, both with branches in Brentwood, and at a store at Lakeside.

As part of the investigation they were asked to withdraw money and buy an expensive item from the shop to gain evidence of the fraud. They were told that the cash and watch would be returned.

Mrs A said: "She asked if we would be prepared to work under cover for the police because they were trying to catch some very nasty thieves who were tricking people.

"We were brought up in the old-fashioned way to respect the police and we thought we were helping them. But all the time they were the evil ones and they were tricking us.

"People will probably wonder how on earth we fell for these tricks but they are very good at what they do and were very convincing. I have always been very cautious when I answer the phone to strangers but they sounded so genuine and we did not suspect a thing. They are terrible people and did not care that they were taking a great deal of money from us.

"They told us because we were working under cover and should not tell anyone, not even our own family.”

Although this fraud has been going on since February 2013 the couple are thought to be the first in Essex to be victim of a new tactic by the thieves in which they were asked to buy valuable items.

They were told they would have to make a purchase as part of the investigation at Lakeside. One of the fraudsters went to a leading jewellery store and asked that a Rolex watch be put aside for her mother who would call in later to pay for it.

Mrs A said: "DC Letchford said that I had to pretend to be a mum buying a Rolex watch for her son as a wedding present. We don’t like going to Lakeside because of the traffic and my husband doesn’t like driving in the dark. But Letchford said we had to go because we have agreed to work undercover for the police.

"We went to the shop and I paid for the watch with a bank card. The assistant was very nice and gift wrapped the watch. Then the manager came out and gave us a bottle of champagne and congratulated us on our son’s wedding.

"We can’t stand champagne and we don’t like Lakeside but we did all this because we thought that we had to.

"We have been cleared out by these terrible thieves but we hope that what happened to us will serve as a warning to other people. "

DCI Paul Maleary said: This type of crime is heart-breaking and it defies belief the lengths these criminal will go to.

"Victims are handing over their life savings. Essex Police are doing all they can to prevent these offences from taking place but the public need to understand that we will never ask for money or for items to be purchased to assist with fraud enquiries.

"We need the support of the public to combat these crimes and identify the criminals.

CCTV footage of the two couriers who called at Mr and Mrs A’s home can be viewed through this link. 

www.youtube.com/essexpoliceuk.

The courier who made the first and third collections was his late teens or early 20s, about 5ft 6in tall and of slim build. The other courier was in his late 20s, about 5ft 10in tall and of medium build. Both were Asian.

Anyone with information should contact Pc Dawn Shearing or DS Eileen Mullins at Loughton CID on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Since February 2013 more than 800 people in Essex have been contacted by various gangs of thieves using the same fraud stories. Around 150 people have been tricked and have lost more than £500,000. Since the start of September 2014 western areas of Essex has been badly affected, with 34 people being contacted. Five people have been tricked and have lost nearly £80,000.

Numerous arrests have been made during investigations by Essex Police and a regional team of detectives. In a recent court case a man was jailed for five years for being involved in a fraud conspiracy. Six people are due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court next months for a fraud conspiracy involving two cases in Essex.