CRIMINALS are posing as police officers complete with fake warrant cards to target the vulnerable and elderly with distraction scams.

About 70 different techniques have been used in the crimes across Essex, Kent and London including waking a 70-year-old woman to tell her she had been burgled.

On each occasion, suspects have pretended to be police officers responding to an alleged crime and have on occasions showed fake police warrant cards or other identification.

Det Chief Insp Jason Hendy said: “Targeting older or more vulnerable people is despicable and we need to catch these people as soon as possible.

“If you’re not expecting an officer to call and someone knocks on your door, please call 101 if you’re suspicious.

“On the call we’ll be able to check whether the call is genuine and if it is then the officer won’t mind at all.

“It’s really important that people pass this message on to friends and relatives and call us with any information.”

Victims include a 70-year-old woken up at 12.30am to be told she had been burgled.

While distracted another man climbed through the window, stole cash and used the time to commit the burglary.

In another they burgled the home of a woman in her 90s and then dressed as police officers to inform neighbours of the crime.