Police are reminding residents to stay alert after two elderly men in Maidstone received phone calls from fraudsters trying to trick them out of their money.

A man in his 70s was phoned by a woman who said she worked for a court and he was owed a large amount of money.

To get the money, the man was told he had to buy music cards worth hundreds of pounds and call them back with the authentication codes.

It happened on December 9 and on the same day, the man was called by a person telling him that he was owed PPI payments but had to buy music cards, pass on the authentication codes, and pay more money into a specified account to get the cash.

A man in his 80s was targeted on December 12 by a person who said he worked for his bank and needed him to transfer a large amount of cash into another account to help the police protect him from fraudsters.

In all these cases, the scams were discovered before or while the frauds were happening.

Inspector Mark Hedges said: ‘These fraudsters can sound very convincing and will often pretend to be from an organisation or company you trust.

"If you receive one of these calls, do not give them any additional information, just end it immediately and wait at least five minutes before using your telephone in order to clear your line from the scammer.

"You should then contact the organisation or company using a number you know, such as one from your latest bill, the telephone book or from their official website.

"A reputable company or organisation would never ask for payment in music or phone vouchers and you should never hand over any money or items to a courier.

"You should also be very wary if you are asked to transfer money into a specified account as a result of this type of call."

Anyone who has information that may help is asked to contact Kent Police on 01622 604100 quoting reference 09-0801 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.