RESIDENTS in Christchurch are being warned of a telephone scam.

It relates to a courier fraud where the victim will receive an unexpected call from a caller posing as a police officer from London.

The caller convinces the victim to make a withdrawal from their account, usually by stating they have someone in custody and their bank account has been compromised.

The victim withdraws the money, which is then collected by an innocent courier or taxi driver who is not aware of the contents of the package.

The courier takes the money to London where they usually hand the package to a person in the street.

Police are advising residents to hang up immediately and ring 101 to report the matter to Dorset Police.

If possible, ring 1471 when ending the call and obtain the telephone number of the last caller.