An elderly Stevenage resident was set to lose more than £1,600 to a Coronation-related scam until police officers stepped in to save the day.

The man was visiting the library in Stevenage town centre to transfer the money online to a cold caller who claimed to be selling commemorative Coronation coins.

At the same time, Cyber Protect Officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary were at the library, delivering a crime prevention session.

Luckily, they found out about the proposed bank transfer and were able to advise the resident not to transfer the funds.

The intended victim had already handed over his banking details to the cold caller, but had been unable to complete the transfer from home, hence his visit to the library.

Elaine Crate, Senior Beacon Fraud Hub Manager, said: “It was very fortunate for the poor victim that they had been unable to action the payment and that we were in the library.

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"The victim was taken to their bank by one of our officers, who made sure that no funds had been taken from their account.

“This is a new scam within Hertfordshire as far as we can tell, but scammers are quick to adapt to new opportunities, like the Coronation.

"I would advise anyone receiving an unsolicited call to be very wary and not to give any banking or personal details unless they were thoroughly satisfied that the person they are speaking to is genuine.” 

If you would like advice on avoiding scams, you can visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or www.herts.police.uk/protectyourmoney.

Herts Cyber Protect Officers are also running free drop in events, including talks given by Trading Standards, the Victim Service team and Cyber Protect officers.

Details of similar events that will continue around the county can be found at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/libraries.