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Hunt for scammer who said he was a police officer

Handout An Asian man with dark hair wearing a black hooded jacket in a picture which appears to be from CCTVHandout
West Yorkshire Police want to identify this man

A conman who claimed he was a police officer defrauded an elderly woman out of tens of thousands of pounds.

West Yorkshire Police issued a picture of a man they wanted to speak to in connection with the case, which happened in Huddersfield in November.

The victim was cold-called and convinced she was talking to a police officer investigating financial fraud, before handing over her bank details. She later met the conman as part of the scheme.

Det Con Callum Wallace described the theft as a "despicable offence".

The man police want to speak to is described as Asian, around 6ft tall, of a stocky build with dark curly hair and is known to frequent Manchester city centre, Leeds city centre and the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

DC Wallace said officers were "progressing a number of lines of inquiry" and asked anyone who could help police identify the man pictured to get in touch.

"Sadly these scams do occur and the persons can be practiced liars. If you receive such a call do not give the caller any personal financial details and hang up," he added.

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