Fraudsters conned a St Albans couple out of hundreds of pounds.

A couple in their 80s were contacted by someone claiming to be from a bank’s ‘fraud investigation unit’ on Wednesday, March 11.

The fraudster told the victims that someone had withdrawn money from their account and that the bank would need their card to cancel them.

The victims were told to confirm their PIN, which they did, and then to place their bank card into an envelope and give it to a taxi driver who later arrived and collected it.

The next day, the couple received another phone call from the same person asking for the details of a second bank card.

Again, the victims gave their PIN and were prepared to give their bank cards to a different taxi driver who had been sent to collect them.

In this instance, the taxi driver became suspicious and alerted the police who were able to prevent the card being sent to the fraudster.

The first card was used to withdraw a couple of hundreds of pounds but the cards have since been cancelled.

The police are continuing to investigate this incident and work with taxi firms to ensure they’re aware that these scams are operating across the county.

Hertfordshire Constabulary’s advice on unexpected phone calls:

The police and banks would:

• NEVER ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be.

• NEVER ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi or by any other means.

• NEVER ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.

If you are not happy with a phone call and are suspicious of the conversation you have with the caller then please end the call and contact police via the non-emergency number, 101.

Remember, when reporting a suspicious phone call to police, wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call or use a mobile or neighbour’s phone to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender.