AN elderly woman was defrauded out of thousands of pounds by scammers pretending to be a police officer and courier.

Legitimate officers have now released an efit of a man who was part of the con which saw the woman in her 80s hand over a five-figure sum of cash.

The victim - who lives in Colchester - received several calls to her landline across five days in June.

The person on the other end of the phone claimed to be a police officer and asked her to withdraw the money which would be picked up by a motorbike courier from her home address.

The courier has been described by the victim as being Asian and in his early 20s. He is believed to be around 5ft 9 or 5ft 10ins tall.

He had a dark beard and wore a black polo top and black trousers.

It is this man the police have released an efit for.

Anyone with information about this man's identity is asked to call Colchester CID on 101 and quote the crime reference number 42/100241/19.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or submit a report through their website at crimestoppers-uk.org.