Residents in Cheshire East are being urged to remain vigilant following a spate of courier fraud reports.

Over the past few weeks, police have received several reports whereby victims have been contacted by fraudsters posing as businesses, banks and even Cheshire Police officers, both over the phone and in-person.

The victims are told to withdraw or hand over cash or valuable items, to purchase EUROs or provide bank cards or pin numbers.

These can then be collected from their home address or at another meeting place by a courier.

Police are reminding people that officers would never ask anyone for money or to hand over valuable items.

Detective Sergeant Jordan Trentini said: "It is important to note that the fraudsters can be extremely convincing.

"They are persistent and often target elderly or vulnerable people.

"Many people may think they would never be a victim to this kind of crime, however this really can happen to anyone. We react very differently when under stress and these criminals are very sophisticated and use a whole host of tactics to persuade people to follow their instructions.

"If you are contacted by anyone claiming to be police officer, anyone asks you to hand over money, bank details or purchase anything to pass across to them, please contact us immediately.

"The quicker we are told, the more likely officers can identify those responsible."

If you believe that you have been a victim of courier fraud, contact Cheshire Police on 101, using a different phone to the one used to communicate with the fraudsters.

You can also report information to us via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.

You can report to Action Fraud via actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Call 999 immediately in an emergency or if you suspect a fraud is currently in progress.