A 90 YEAR-OLD woman was one of two victims of a cruel courier fraud in Reading. 

At around 1.45pm on March 20 the elderly woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the fraud department at Lloyds.

The mystery caller asked the pensioner to withdraw cash which was then collected by a courier.

This follows a similar incident on March 3 when a 76 year-old woman was contacted by a man posing as a Barclays Fraud Department operative.

He claimed the victim's card had been cloned and that she needed to provide money to ensure its return. A short while later a fake police officer collected the cash.

Case Investigator Lorna Underwood of Local CID based at Reading police station said: “If you have any information about either of these incidents please contact me via the Thames Valley Police non-enquiry centre on 101. 

“If you don’t want to speak to police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

“Remember that police and banks would never ask for your PIN or send a courier to collect your card or cash.

“Never transfer money to the account of someone you don’t know and don’t be pressured into withdrawing money, or leaving it unattended. 

“Please share this message with any elderly friends or relatives.”