A fraudster has conned a pensioner out of a large amount of money by claiming to be from her bank.

The con has prompted police to issue a warning about anyone claiming to be from a bank requesting a money transfer following alleged suspicious activity in their bank account.

The pensioner, who lives in East Surrey, transferred a large sum of money after being been told someone had been accessing her account.

Further calls were made to pressurise her to make additional payments to stop further fraudulent use of her account.

The police were contacted after the woman went to her bank to explain the situation, which informed her it would not operate in this way.

Detective Constable Carmen Lambert Singer, from Epsom CID, said: "This was a despicable offence that has understandably left an elderly Surrey resident very distressed.

"Those involved had obviously done their homework and were able to provide the victim with enough details about her and her bank account to allay her initial suspicions and ultimately convince her to transfer the money.

"I want to make it clear that banks and the police do not operate in this way.

"Neither the police nor bank’s internal fraud investigators will ever ask for payment to carry out an investigation.

"No matter how much information a caller can provide about your bank account if you have any concerns then hang up and either call back on the phone number given on the back of your bank card or go in to your nearest branch.

"Surrey Police will not tolerate those who deliberately target others for their own gains and will relentlessly pursue those responsible for this offence.

"But we also need the Surrey public to play their part by making friends and relatives aware of this scam and ensuring that they know what to do if they receive a similar call."

Anyone with information should call the police on 101.