Appeal after conmen stole hundreds of pounds from Cradley Heath pensioner
Conmen posing as council staff fleeced a pensioner out of hundreds of pounds - asking for payment for gardening work and then stealing more while the unsuspecting victim was distracted fetching their 'fee', police revealed today.
The 78-year-old victim, of Prince Street, Cradley Heath, only discovered the 'workmen' were bogus when she visited her housing office in Blackheath on Tuesday and asked if the men who had called at her home were genuine.
Staff broke the news that the men were not working for Sandwell Council, and that it was likely they were con artists Further checks confirmed that not only had the men conned the pensioner out of £600, having claimed that they needed payment for gardening work, they also stole hundreds more when they sneaked inside the property whilst the lady was fetching their 'fee' and stole money from a bedroom.
The men, who were wearing dark, dark coloured workmen type trousers, fleece jumpers and boots, left the scene in a black Land Rover. They both spoke with Black Country accents.
Detectives today appealed for anyone with information about the 'despicable' fraudsters to come forward.
Det Sgt Mick Perkins, from the Sandwell and Dudley acquisitive crime team, said: "This is a despicable crime that has devastated an elderly lady, whose savings have been taken by people who turned up at her home, claiming to be there to help.
"She gave money in good faith but not content with £600 the heartless thieves also searched her home, taking hundreds more.
"Thankfully she was unharmed but, understandably, she is very shaken and upset by what happened.
"We need to speak to anyone who recognises the descriptions, may have been in the area of Prince Street on Tuesday morning, or who saw a black Land Rover acting suspiciously, to call us."
Witnesses or anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
