diff --git a/lib/tokenize.cpp b/lib/tokenize.cpp
index b100a77a0..9e134debe 100644
--- a/lib/tokenize.cpp
+++ b/lib/tokenize.cpp
@@ -2019,6 +2019,28 @@ void Tokenizer::simplifyTypedef()
     }
 }
 
+void Tokenizer::simplifyMulAnd(void)
+{
+    for (Token *tok = _tokens; tok; tok = tok->next())
+    {
+        //fix Ticket #2784
+        if (Token::Match(tok->next(), "* & %any% ="))
+        {
+            tok->deleteNext(); //del *
+            tok->deleteNext(); //del &
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (Token::Match(tok->next(), "* ( & %any% ) ="))
+        {
+            tok->deleteNext(); //del *
+            tok->deleteNext(); //del (
+            tok->deleteNext(); //del &
+            tok->next()->deleteNext(); //del )
+            continue;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 bool Tokenizer::tokenize(std::istream &code,
                          const char FileName[],
                          const std::string &configuration,
@@ -2034,6 +2056,9 @@ bool Tokenizer::tokenize(std::istream &code,
 
     createTokens(code);
 
+    // simplify '* & %any% =' to '%any% ='
+    simplifyMulAnd();
+
     // Convert C# code
     if (_files[0].find(".cs"))
     {
diff --git a/lib/tokenize.h b/lib/tokenize.h
index 1a1377325..08ab55e60 100644
--- a/lib/tokenize.h
+++ b/lib/tokenize.h
@@ -114,6 +114,11 @@ public:
      */
     static void deleteTokens(Token *tok);
 
+    /**
+     * Simplify '* & %any% =' to '%any% ='
+     */
+    void simplifyMulAnd(void);
+
     /**
      * Get parameter name of function
      * @param ftok The token for the function name in a function
diff --git a/test/testtokenize.cpp b/test/testtokenize.cpp
index 6bc29510b..19bff3d67 100644
--- a/test/testtokenize.cpp
+++ b/test/testtokenize.cpp
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ private:
         TEST_CASE(simplify_constants2);
         TEST_CASE(simplify_constants3);
         TEST_CASE(simplify_null);
+        TEST_CASE(simplifyMulAnd);          // #2784
 
         TEST_CASE(vardecl1);
         TEST_CASE(vardecl2);
@@ -4001,6 +4002,23 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS(expected, tokenizeAndStringify(code,true));
     }
 
+    void simplifyMulAnd()
+    {
+        // (error) Resource leak
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(
+            "void f ( ) { int f ; f = open ( ) ; }",
+            tokenizeAndStringify(
+                "void f() {int f; *&f=open(); }"
+            )
+        );
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(
+            "void f ( ) { int f ; f = open ( ) ; }",
+            tokenizeAndStringify(
+                "void f() {int f; *(&f)=open(); }"
+            )
+        );
+    }
+
     void vardecl1()
     {
         const char code[] = "unsigned int a, b;";