Essex Police teamed up with a community banker to provide advice to elderly residents on how to spot fraud.

Braintree PSCO Jo Macmillan joined Amanda Lawrence during a visit to The Hawthorns retirement community, in Meadow Park, Braintree.

The pair delivered a presentation which featured a wealth of advice on spotting scams and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud.

Residents were given the chance to ask questions after the event and the pair spoke to more than 20 people about specific scams.

PSCO Macmillan said: “Anyone could become a victim of fraud and it’s important that we all look out for vulnerable victims such as a grandparent or an elderly neighbour.

“Some signs that an elderly person has been scammed or is likely to be scammed could be - unusual amounts of post or letters lying about the house, unexplained cash withdrawals or cheque payments or they might seem short of money when they normally wouldn’t be.

“A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your pin, full password or to move a sum of money.

"Only ever give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you’ve already given your consent to and you trust.”

For details on how to protect yourself from fraud, visit www.essex.police.uk/fraud.