A CONMAN from East Lancashire has confessed to a £14,000 fraud where he pretended to be a police officer from Scotland Yard to trick an 84-year-old woman.

An investigation was launched when a building society clerk became suspicious and alerted Lancashire Police after the victim handed over at least £5,000.

The pensioner, who has not been named, returned to a branch of Santander, ostensibly to collect a package, which she handed over to 20-year-old Ali Awsaf, said prosecutors.

Police moved in and detained Awsaf, from Princess Street, Haslingden.

He appeared before Burnley Crown Court and pleaded guilty to four offences of fraud by false representation and three charges of attempted fraud, involving securing £10,000 in cash and 4,500 Euros.

Initially the 84-year-old received a call, last September, from a man claiming to be a sergeant from ‘Scotland Yard’.

He is alleged to have kept her on the phone for several hours, telling her that her bank account had been compromised and £700 had been stolen.

She was asked to type her pin number into the phone’s handset and told a delivery man would collect her bank cards for fingerprinting.

so they could be fingerprinted.

Awsaf arrived at the OAP’s home to collect her bank cards.

The next day the same man persuaded her to go to Santander and withdraw £5,000. She handed the money to Awsaf.

The following day the victim was again asked to visit Santander but she was only able to withdraw £500. She was then told she would have to withdraw Euros.

Prosecutors say she then went to both Thomas Cook and the Post Office over the next two days but had difficulties obtaining Euros without her passport.

as she did not have a passport with her.

Shortly afterwards she returned to Santander, where the cashier told her she could not be issued with any more money. The cashier became suspicious and alerted police.

said that some could be ordered but it would take a few days. After becoming suspicious, the cashier contacted police.

Awsaf was remanded in custody by Judge Jonathan Gibson to await sentencing, after the preparation of reports, at Burnley on May 14.