WEST Somerset residents are being warned to be vigilant after fraudsters targeted people in Minehead and Williton claiming to be officers from the Metropolitan Police. Two people were contacted in the Minehead area on Tuesday by a man who said he was investigating a fraud. He asked the individuals to send large sums of money which needed to be checked as part of the investigation. Three other incidents have also taken place in the Minehead and Williton areas involving demands for more than £40,000. Police said numerous victims – usually vulnerable elderly people – had already been targeted across the Avon and Somerset force area and some had been duped into withdrawing cash. The perpetrators always followed the same pattern, contacting potential victims by telephone. They then encouraged them to withdraw large sums of cash which had to be sent to London by taxi or via a courier. The fraudster claimed the money was potential evidence for an investigation and the cash had to be forensically examined. In another, separate scam, fraudsters have phoned a victim and claimed two people had been arrested in London and had bank cards in the victim's name. The victim was then given a number to call, but because the fraudster did not hang up the phone, the victim simply spoke directly to the perpetrator of the scam and was encouraged to provide private banking details and information. In one incident in the force area, a man was duped into withdrawing £8,000 from his account, to be collected by a courier. However, he became suspicious and alerted the police. Barrie Douglas, of Avon and Somerset Constabulary's serious crime group, said: "The police and the banks will never ask you for banking details or PIN numbers on the phone. "Similarly, they would never send a so-called 'courier' to collect bank cards or money. "In two recent incidents, the victims did the right thing when they became suspicious of callers. "They hung up the phone and called the police by either waiting until they could hear a dialling tone or by using a different phone to call us, ensuring that the scammers were not still connected to the line." Mr Douglas said it was important people with elderly friends and neighbours warned them about the scam and also asked taxi drivers to be vigilant if they were asked to courier small packages to London on behalf of elderly people. "We would also urge bank employees to be aware of elderly people drawing large sums of money from their accounts and offer guidance and advice," Mr Douglas added. l Police arrested wo men on suspicion of fraud by false representation and they were released on bail on Wednesday. The men, aged 18 and 38, were arrested in London after a taxi driver contacted police when he was asked to courier a package to the capital.