A ruthless gang, posing as bank officials, may have been lining up thousands of victims in a scam.

The conmen targeted more than 25 people, including some living in Maidstone and Canterbury, and lured them into handing over their savings.

The thieves claimed they worked on fraud protection, and talked victims into withdrawing or transferring more than £600,000.

Yet despite being innocent victims of the scam, banks have repaid less than a quarter of the siphoned funds.

Judge James O’Mahony, sitting at Canterbury Crown Court, said: “It is not for me to comment on the rights or wrongs of that decision.”

Police managed to nab one of the group because he used his own mobile phone for a cab to take a victim to a bank to collect the funds.

The court heard how one kindly couple were talked into handing over money they were going to use to take a sick grandchild to America for medical treatment for a brain tumour.

The fraud, which lasted seven months, only came to an end when diligent police officers traced one of the main men to his home in Scotland.

They raided the house in Bellhill, Lanarkshire, Scotland and stopped another £51,000 from being stolen, plus they discovered bank details of 5,000 more potential victims!

Today chef Samheel Baig, was described as a "mule herder" for organising the money collections.

Baig, 39, of Kelvin Road, Lanarkshire, was jailed for six years and nine months after admitting his part in the conspiracy and having a memory stick with the bank details of others.

The detectives, DC Mark Newman and Craig Malthouse from the Serious Economic Crime Unit - who were praised for their diligence by the judge – are now expecting to make more arrests soon.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor told how the gang contacted at least 27 bank customers posing as investigators.

One of their clever ploys was to tell them that their own banks had been compromised to stop enquiries being made.

“They were told that instead they should transfer funds into nominated accounts via the Internet.

“In one case a customer didn’t use Internet banking, so they organised a taxi to take them from their home to the bank to carry out the transaction.”

In the seven months between October last year and May this year the total loss to people was £629,558.92 - with attempts to get another £50,900.

Mr Taylor said: “The banks have only reimbursed customers £141,965. Many of the victims feel acute embarrassment that they allowed themselves to fall victim to this fraud but it is unnecessary given the nature and sophistication of the fraud.

One of the victims (Janet Stewart) revealed that in 2016 a relative needed to go to America for a difficult operation and money was set aside for this.

Three victims are from Canterbury, including a £40,000 loss to a pensioner, two others from Maidstone and one from Sevenoaks.

Many were left devastated by the fraud and have suffered ill health.

"I hope you really are remorseful and that those aren't crocodile tears" - Judge James O'Mahony

Tom Irwin, defending, said the father-of-three was recruited after running up £20,000 worth of gambling and drugs debts.

Baig, who blew his slice of the massive scam on drugs, sat crying with his head bowed.

Judge O'Mahony told him: "I hope you really are remorseful and that those aren't crocodile tears because you have been a conman here and previously."

He said the gang had deliberately targeted people who, because of their age, tended to trust banks.

Detective Constable Mark Newman said: "Baig and other conspirators were relentless in their approach in contacting as many people as possible to try and convince them to transfer their money.

"He was a key part of an organised crime group who preyed on the most vulnerable for his own financial gain and showed no remorse for the effect his actions had on his victims.

"I would encourage friends and family members to pass on fraud prevention advice to help protect residents who may not be aware of this type of scam."

To protect yourself against fraud, remember the police or your bank will never:

• send a courier to your home to collect your bank card or other items

• ask for cash, valuables, or your PIN

If you receive one of these calls end it immediately without providing information.

If you wish to call your bank use a number known to you, not one provided by the caller.

Call from another phone, or call a friend first to ensure the offenders have been disconnected from your line.

A second man is being hunted by police after going on the run charged with money laundering and a third has also been charged.