A Walthamstow man has been charged after vulnerable people were targeted in a phone scam.

Said Rage, 26, of Queens Road, Walthamstow, is accused of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering.

Mr Rage is among eight men and one woman due to appear in court today after police swooped on 17 addresses across London on Monday.

The group are suspected of being involved in a scam which sees elderly people contacted by phone by someone posing as a police officer, who claims the security of the victim's bank account has been compromised.

Victims are then persuaded to transfer funds to an account controlled by the gang.

Those attested are suspected of targeting people living in the south west of England.

However, the scam is common across the country, with over 300 targeted in east London and Essex.

A 34-year-old man arrested on Monday has been bailed to return to a police station in January.

The rest of the group will all now face trial at Westminster Magistrates Court today.