Thieves pretending to be police officers are targeting Penarth and the Vale in a phone scam. 

South Wales Police has recently received a number of fraud reports, including two in Penarth, who have answered a phone call from a man claiming to be an officer from London.  

The scammer said he had made an arrest in an Argos store and the person arrested had been trying to purchase a TV using cloned bank details in their name.  

He then encourages the person to stay on the line where they will be connected to their local force to make a report.  

Luckily, no one has fallen for the scam. 

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: "The exact scam is unknown – it is likely that by staying on the line they will be connected to another fraudster who will try to obtain bank details from them. 

"Thankfully no one has fallen for this scam and provided any bank details or money but we are asking you to stay vigilant. 

"Police officers will never contact you asking for personal financial information and we will never ask you to withdraw money. 

"We need your help to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. 

"We urge anyone with elderly relatives or those who care for older people to please make them aware of this scam. 

"Anyone receiving such calls should hang up as soon as possible and report matters to us."  

Scam calls can be reported here.  

You can also dial 999 in an emergency.