A NATIONWIDE employee stopped a woman in her 50s with learning difficulties from being scammed into transferring £5,000 to an account in the north of the country.

Jess, an employee at the bank, was working on April 21 when she spotted some “unusual cues” in the lady’s request.

A spokesperson for Poole Police said: “The lady had travelled by bus all the way from Highcliffe to attempt to transfer £5,000 to an account in the north of the country.

“Jess's high levels of professionalism prevented this and enabled police to attend and safeguard the victim.

“This incident was part of a romance scam. The perpetrator had preyed on the victim based on vulnerabilities, convincing her to attempt to transfer a large sum of money.

“Police have seen an increase in this and similar types of crimes locally. Inclusive of individuals posing as police to convince victims to transfer large sums of cash, Police do not action requests of this type.

“If you are unsure about a transaction, speak to someone you trust, the bank or police.”