FOREST of Dean police has urged residents to be vigilant, following intelligence of a circulating cryptocurrency scam.

Police said residents are being contacted by people claiming to be lawyers, who inform victims that they have substantial Bitcoin in a joint wallet, which can be released for a fee.

In one case, this cost an elderly resident around £10,000 before police were able to intervene.

PCSO Peter Timmins said: "I would ask everyone to be extra vigilant when contacted by people with extraordinary claims of unexpected monetary gain. It is so easy to get pulled into these scams as the scammers are so believable. These type of scammers are targeting primarily elderly people, but i would urge everyone to stop and think before agreeing to anything.

“If it is too good to be true then inevitably always is. Please stay vigilant and report any scam using 101.”

To report an incident of cybercrime or fraud and for further information visit the Action Fraud website.

You can also find out more tips for keeping safe online on the Gloucestershire Police website.