POLICE are urging Bury residents to be on their guard after a woman was scammed out of "a significant amount" of money.

On Thursday, the scammer called the 79-year-old victim pretending to be a police officer from London and claimed she had been targeted by a fraudster.

He said a man had been arrested and was found to have her bank details on him.

The fraudster then convinced the woman to transfer her money over to a specific bank account to keep her funds safe.

The victim agreed and lost a substantial amount of money.

Sergeant Mark Wakelam, of Bury Police, said: "This is a disgusting case of trickery where a vulnerable woman was preyed on.

"I would like to remind residents to never give their bank details over the phone or transfer money into an account they don't know or trust.

"A police officer would never call you and ask for you to transfer money over the phone.

"If you do receive suspicious calls like this then immediately hang up and report it to police.

"I would also ask people to share this advice with relatives and neighbours."