CROOKS pretending to be police have stolen a total of £1,500 from the bank accounts of two Bradford men.

The victims revealed personal banking details after receiving phone calls saying their account had been targeted by fraudsters.

Police said the first victim - a 33-year-old - was phoned last Friday by a man who claimed to be a police officer. He was asked for his account and PIN details, which he gave. The man's bank later contacted him to say £1,200 had been withdrawn from his account.

Two days later, a 41-year-old man was contacted by a man claiming to be a police officer, who told him his account had been defrauded and then asked for his bank details. A man later went to the victim's home to collect his bank card and £300 was subsequently taken from his account.

Four victims in Huddersfield have also reported similar crimes, which are being investigated by Kirklees CID.

PC Toni Hinnells, of Bradford CID, said: "The police would never ask someone for their banking details or call someone to speak about suspected fraudulent activity on their bank account.

"If you receive one of these calls and you're still not sure whether it's genuine, put the phone down and contact your bank separately. They should be able to confirm if they are aware of any suspected fraud with your account.

"I would advise people not to disclose their personal details online and to make sure that any personal banking documentation is shredded before being thrown away.

"I would also advise them to report any of these calls, or similar, to Action Fraud on 0300 1232040.

"If you're still not sure, you can contact the police for advice on 01274 376562 between 8am and 3pm Monday to Friday, or call 101 at any time and we will get back to you."

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