FRAUDSTERS have scammed Winchester residents out of £75,000 over the last two months.

Nearly 90 reports have emerged of courier fraud in and around the city centre seeing the elderly and most vulnerable targeted for their cash.

The figures came out during a Police and Communities Together meeting, which shocked the near-30 residents who attended.

Officers said the 86 incidents that have been reported were just the ones they knew of and feared the actual number could be much higher.

PCSO Gavin Cooper told the meeting at Peter Symonds College: "The advice is just don't engage with people over the phone. If someone is asking you for money and they're from the police; we would never call you and ask for money. It's really the banks that's where we've put a lot of effort in."

Residents were reminded to look out for older neighbours living alone and said if they were suspicious of such activity to call the police or speak to their banks - which now have posters informing people of the activity.

"We want to spread the word," Mr Cooper added.

PCSO Donna Bidle said: "They get quite embarrassed about the fact they have been scammed. [The fraudsters] are constantly coming up; they are ahead of the game."

The advice Hampshire Police have issued is that if anyone is contacted by such people claiming to be from the police and have asked for money to put the phone down and call 101 from a separate number.

The reason is that scammers are telling residents to put the phone down if they don't believe who they are speaking to but won't themselves hang up so the victim remains on the same line with the fraudster before another voice comes on reassuring them it isn't a scam.

A high number of residents have fallen prey which has seen specially selected couriers - some of them in taxis - collecting thousands of pounds from people's doors.