Pensioner conned out of £24k

BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

An elderly woman was duped out of £24,000 by con men posing as police officers trying to stage a sting

Detectives in Southwark are appealing for the public’s help to identify two men who stole her savings. The victim, who is 71 and lives in Camberwell, was first contacted by a man on December 6.

The trickster called her claiming to be an officer who needed help with a police operation. He deceived her into going to a bureau de change in the West End to buy some Euros and arranged a place to hand them over.

She gave nearly £5,000 in euros to a man in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria at around 5pm.

She was then asked to go to Oxendon Street, near Leicester Square, where at 8.29pm she handed over thousands more in Euros.

The following day the victim was contacted again and was told her help was needed once more. This time, between 11.20am and noon, on Cadogan Gardens, Sloane Square, she handed over £7,000 in Euros to a second suspect.

The first suspect is described as an Asian man about 5ft 8ins and in his 20s. Police are releasing CCTV and an image of the first suspect involved in the fraud.

DC Michael Esangbedo, of Southwark CID, said: “This was a cruel and heartless deception practised on a vulnerable, elderly woman. These men have clearly targeted the victim and I have no doubt that unless they are arrested they will continue to prey on the elderly and vulnerable. These men need to be caught and I would ask anyone with information to contact police or Crimestoppers immediately.”

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via
Twitter @MetCC – please quote 3036717/17.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org