ELDERLY people in their 80s were victims in a courier scam while others laundered the stolen cash, a court heard.

The trial at Worcester Crown Court concerns alleged money laundering following a £200,000 ‘courier fraud’. Scammers telephoned victims across the country, including in Worcestershire, posing as police officers investigating frauds at banks near their homes.

In some cases the victims handed over thousands in cash to couriers and in others their bank cards and PIN numbers, thinking their money would be transferred into a police safe account.

Some were invited to call 999 or the police non-emergency number 101 to confirm the legitimacy of the investigation. One victim, 81, was told to go to Thomas Cook, Evesham and bought £4,937 of Euros and handed them to a courier before he was told by ‘DCI Robinson’ to withdraw yet more money (£1,700 from Nationwide, £310 from HSBC, £300 from a cash machine in Evesham and £407 from Thomas Cook). The fraudsters also gave out fake badge numbers, crime reference numbers and insurance investigation numbers.

Vivian Brauner, 40, of Cumrae Street, Cardiff, Paulo Custodio, 22, of Bedford House, Clapham North, Claudio Megi, 24, of Green Farm Hostel, Clos Tan Y Ffarm, Cardiff, Syam Hussain, 24, of Scarle Road, Wembley, and Muhmmed Talukdar, 22, of Stepney Way, London all deny charges relating to alleged money laundering at their ongoing trial at Worcester Crown Court.

Brauner, Custodio and Megi all deny conspiracy to convert criminal property between April 24 and July 31, 2016. Talukdar and Hussain each deny an arrangement concerning criminal property.

Christopher Canning, prosecuting, told the jury Rejwanul Islam, Mohamed Hadi, Mohamed Kashem, Mohamed Nawaz Miah, Mohamed Nazeem Miah, Idris Ali, Mohamed Nasir Miah had already been convicted of conspiracy to commit the fraud while Rizwan Uddin had admitted making an arrangement concerning criminal property.

In one instance the Crown say one fraud victim transferred £15,430 into the account of Brauner, believing the cash was destined for a safe police account.

One victim of the fraud was 84 and had a daughter with learning difficulties.

Another victim, aged 85, transferred £27,400 from accounts he shared with his sister who lived in a residential home and suffered from dementia.

Some of the frauds were reversed after the banks were alerted.

The trial continues.