Staffordshire Police are urging people to be vigilant and ignore phone calls requesting money be paid after fraudulently claiming it is owed to the police.

Over the past few days the force has received calls about successful and failed attempts to extort money.

The caller gives the would-be victim their correct National Insurance number and then says a warrant for their arrest has been issued as they owe the police money. Reports indicate the fraudsters are referencing Longton Police Station in Stoke-on-Trent in these calls.

DI Stephen Ward from Staffordshire Police's Specialist Investigations team for fraud and cybercrime, said: "It cannot be stated importantly enough that the police will never ask for you to move or present cash to us.

"Never share personal details to anyone. And please also remember that banks will only ask for partial details. If the person on the other end of the phone is asking for your full personal and account details this should be a red flag.

"If you are unsure, take five minutes out to verify the story and call a trusted source to check the validity of any contact of this kind. Fraudsters can sometimes stay on your line to prevent you calling out so it might be worth using another phone for this."

Anyone who experiences anything similar is urged to contact Staffordshire Police via Facebook and Twitter.