Southern Districts operations manager Inspector Matt Scoles said reports had emerged of several recent incidents.
"The ‘officer’ will claim to be from a particular department, tell you that you have been a victim of fraud or a scam, and begin to try and obtain further financial information from you.
"People have been directed to go to the bank and withdraw money for evidence of the supposed scam.
"This is a scam – no legitimate Police Officer will ever ask you to hand over money, for any reason.
"If you want to establish if the officer is genuine, ask for the officer’s full details. Hang up, contact 105 and request someone to check for you.
Older members of our community were being targeted and police urged anyone with older, vulnerable relatives or friends to make them aware of the scam.
Since early August, police had made arrests in Auckland and Wellington connected to the scam.
Three people are currently before the courts in relation to scamming vulnerable people in the Auckland and Wellington Districts.
One of these, a 26-year-old UK national, has since been convicted of scamming more than $330,000 out of victims.
