“CRUEL” scammers are defrauding vulnerable Gwynedd residents of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Among their recent victims is a pensioner in his 60s who was left devastated after being conned out of nearly £300,000 of his life savings.

North Wales police and crime commissioner Arfon Jones has been told at least one case is coming to light every day in the region.

He was speaking after being briefed about the scale of the problem by PC David Hall, North Wales Police’s financial abuse safeguarding officer.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector, revealed he would be adjusting his blueprint for policing the area to take account of the rising tide of financ­ial fraud.

He said: “Protecting vulnerable people is a cornerstone of my Police and Crime Plan and these cruel fraudsters are ruthlessly targeting vulnerable people in north Wales.

“In the first instance though, we must to everything in our power to warn potential victims to be on their guard and to be wary of unsolicited phone calls relating to their personal finances.

“It is vitally important that people do not accept what they are told at face value and to take five to check things out properly and separately with their bank.”

According to PC Hall, “several million pounds” a year are lost by victims of fraud and cybercrime in north Wales.

One popular ploy used by the scammers is to ring potential targets warning they are at risk of losing their life savings because a dishonest bank employee is stealing from their bank account.

The only way of safe-guarding their money is to temporarily transfer their money into another “safe account”, which was actually anything but secure.

See this week’s north papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition on Thursday