Residents are being warned to be on their guard after scammers stole almost £60,000 in courier frauds in Surrey over the last two weeks.

Since the first of June, police have received 20 reports of frauds where criminals impersonate an official from the police or the victim’s bank. The scammers claim the victim’s credit card had been stolen and that an investigation is underway and proceed to ask for details of the card, or offer to send a courier to pick it up.

Only six of the reported 20 scams were successful, but a total of £58,705 has been stolen in Surrey this month, with one victim losing £22,000.

Advice on avoiding scams can be found on the Surrey police website.