Devon and Cornwall Police has put a warning to the bank’s customers that fraudsters are sending out mail using a replica template with its logo, address and signature from a customer service representative.

The letter tells recipients that there have been some ‘unusual transactions’ on their personal account and asks them to call a number highlighted in bold to confirm they are genuine.

When victims call the number, an automated welcome message is played and the caller is asked to enter their card number, account number and sort code followed by their date of birth.

Victims are then instructed to enter the first and last digit of their security number.

The fraud was spotted by the Daily Telegraph who was alerted to it by a reader who had three identical letters sent to an office address.

On separate occasions the Telegraph ran some tests using fake details and were passed to fraudsters who claimed to be from a Lloyds contact centre.

The bank has confirmed that the phone number and letters are fake.

The letters are essentially a sophisticated ‘phishing’ attempt and serves as a warning to consumers to question written correspondence from their banks.

Anyone suspicious about correspondence from their bank should call the customer services number on the back of their card.

To report a fraud and cyber crime, call the police on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud.