By Noor Qurashi
Published: 10:50 AEDT, 16 October 2024 | Updated: 18:49 AEDT, 16 October 2024
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Urgent warnings are being circulated after a man dressed up as a traffic warden tried to scam a woman out of £4000.
The victim - who had just parked her car near a hospital - was told she must hand over her bank card or she would be fined.
Moments later, the fraudster opened the car door and jumped out before making a run for it with the motorist's card.
Police said that soon after, the woman received a message from her bank saying that a £4,000 withdrawal had attempted to be made on her account. The suspicious bank had fortunately stopped the transaction.
The incident occurred in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, last Thursday and police last night pleaded with the public not to be fooled by scammers.
Stock photo of a real traffic warden giving a parking ticket in Devon. Police are urging the public to be cautious of fraudsters
Fraud Triage Manager Julian Griffiths, from the Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: 'This incident must have been distressing for the victim, who not only had their card taken but must have felt physically intimidated by the man climbing into the car.
'Wearing tracksuits and black gloves, they were also wearing vests which had a similar appearance to clothing sometimes worn by police officers. They left the scene shortly after.
'The incident is being linked to a previous report of suspicious behaviour in the same road, on Friday 23rd August.
'At just after 1.30am, two suspects wearing balaclavas attempted to steal a car but left empty handed.'
Impersonating a police officer, which is an offence under the 1996 Police Act, carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.
The incidents in Sevenoaks are not the first time that criminals have disguised themselves as policemen to aid in their crimes.
Two men who claimed to be officers and were wearing 'crude' uniforms were causght on camera being chased out of an apartment block in east London by angry residents in October 2021, The Telegraph reported.
Similarly, in November last year, 17-year-old Joe Metcalfe was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he made a 'detailed plan to murder Muslims at a nearby mosque while disguised as an armed police officer'.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group