POLICE have issued a warning after two pensioners were conned out of thousands of pounds by a pair of crooks... pretending to be police officers.

The thieves said they were officers from the Metropolitan Police and even had a fake badge. They told the pensioners, a 72-year-old woman and a 74-year-old man, that recent work carried out on their homes had been done by bogus builders who were now in court.

The fake cops then lied to the pair and told them they needed money to pay for court fees.

The woman handed over £6,000 and the man a further £3,000.

Detective Sergeant Helen Paine wants to hear from anyone else who has been targeted.

She said: “The police would never contact people and ask them to withdraw or hand over cash to officers.

“The people carrying out these frauds are deliberately targeting those they think are vulnerable, so please do look out for your friends, family and anyone you feel may be at risk by passing on this message, to help prevent further people falling victim to this type of fraud.”

The suspect at the woman’s home was a white man aged in his 30s, six feet tall, with a long oval shaped face and light brown hair. He wore dark trouser and a black zipped jacket, work boots and showed a badge in a wallet with Metropolitan Police written on the inside.

DS Paine added: “If ever you doubt a telephone caller is genuine, simply hang up the phone.

“If speaking to callers at the door, always ask for ID and satisfy yourself that it is genuine before dealing with that person.

“We want to hear from you if you have received similar calls to these or have any information which could help our investigation.”