A man in his 70s was conned out of his bank details following a phone scam on Monday (27).

Between 1pm-4pm the Harpenden man was contacted by a caller claiming to be from the Visa fraud department.

The caller stated that the man’s card had been fraudulently used in London, and told him they needed his PIN and bank cards to investigate. After providing his PIN, the victim was instructed to place his bank card into an envelope and hand it over to a courier who later arrived and collected it.

His wife arrived home and cancelled the cards before any money was stolen from the account.

Police are warning people to be aware of spam calls and remain vigilant.

St Albans Local Crime Detective Inspector Pete Frost said: “It was fortunate the bank card was cancelled and the victim didn’t lose any money, but this incident again highlights the need for everyone to share our advice and help raise awareness about fraud.”

He added that police, banks and credit card companies would never, in any circumstances, ask for a person’s PIN, and that information should be kept to the cardholder.

If you have had a suspicious phone call the non-emergency number 101.