Potential victims of fraud have saved thousands of pounds thanks to a new partnership.

Dorset Police and high street banks have been working together to prevent over £330,000 getting into the hands of fraudsters.

Police say the average age of victims is 75 years old.

The scheme - known as the ‘banking protocol’ - trains bank staff to spot when someone is about to be scammed. The transaction can be stopped with an immediate police response.

Dorset Police said between January and April 2019 they responded to 34 calls and prevented £331,682 from being handed to fraudsters.

Around 56 per cent of potential victims were men - the oldest of whom was a 96-year-old who was visited by a fraudster in his home.

He was asked to give the fraudster £2,000 in order to receive £12,000. Upon visiting the bank to withdraw money, staff raised the alarm.

In another incident, a woman in her late 80s was targeted when fraudsters claiming to be from BT, called to say her internet had been hacked and they needed to access her computer.

The victim was told not to tell anyone. The fraudsters claimed they had put £10,000 into her current account to trace the hackers. However the £10,000 had been transferred from her ISA without her knowing.

Fraudsters then asked her to transfer £8,000 into an overseas account - which was blocked as a result of the banking protocol.

The victim said: “You never realise how easily you can be drawn into a scam. Even when the police were in the bank trying to prevent the transaction, I continued to tell the story the fraudsters had given me.

“When I got home and thought about it, I took a chance on ignoring the hackers and called the police back.

“The support I received was superb. The police officer was gentle, reassuring and comforting and didn’t blame me for my actions.

“If you are concerned about a message on your computer, don’t believe anybody about anything - report it."

Inspector Phil Swanton said: “With fraudsters hiding behind computer screens around the world, bringing offenders to justice is incredibly challenging. We’re doing all we can to prevent it."

“The banking protocol is a great example of partnership working between the major banks and Dorset Police to protect residents.”

Katy Worobec, managing director of Economic Crime, UK Finance, said: “The banking industry will keep taking action to combat fraud, working closely with law enforcement partners to crack down on criminal gangs.”