San Diego

A man claiming to be a San Diego police officer attempted to rob two elderly people Monday by telling them he was part of an operation to root out corrupt bank employees, said police spokesman Bill Robinson.

Robinson declined to name either of the victims or the banks, but said that the woman was from La Jolla and the man was from North Park. The scam did not work because they both called their banks, which in turn called police, he said.

The suspect, who identified himself as a police officer named Jim Burke, was not caught, said Robinson.

Robinson said that an unidentified person claiming to be a bank employee called the woman Monday morning and said that there was an error in her account and that he wanted to verify her bank balance. About 15 minutes later, Burke called the woman and said he wanted to meet her at the bank, where she was to withdraw all the money in her account as part of a scam to catch a dishonest employee.

Burke also called the man and asked him to withdraw $3,000 from his account. The man was asked for a description of his car and was told that the money he would be given by the bank teller would be marked and could be identified under a black light. He was told to meet Burke and hand over the money.

Robinson said that this type of operation, which usually targets elderly people, occurs fairly frequently. The last time was in early December, he said.

“They move from town to town using different variations,” he said.

The case is still under investigation, and Robinson said that people are encouraged to call police immediately if they get similar phone calls.