A BOGUS caller tricked a 92-year-old couple into believing that he was trying to help prevent burglaries – then made off with their £500 savings.
The burglary happened in Abingdon Street, Fartown, when the man knocked on the couple’s door claiming to offer advice after a string of burglaries in the area.
He told the couple that they may not have realised they had been burgled and urged them to count any cash in the house to check.
The couple then fetched £500 from a dresser and put it on a table to count the money.
But the man then asked the couple to check that their windows were secure. The couple did so, but when they returned, found that the suspect had left the house. They later realised that the suspect had taken the £500 with him.
The incident happened between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on May 17, but police released details only yesterday.
The burglary comes after an awareness campaign was launched last month after a spate of bogus callers across Kirklees.
West Yorkshire Trading Standards, West Yorkshire Police and Kirklees Council are working together to ensure some of the most vulnerable members of society are kept safe from such activity.
In Lindley, bogus callers have been operating in the area, posing as council officials, gardeners and window cleaners.
Some of the intended victims have been visited more than once by the conmen. This raises the concern that these people are targeting certain properties and returning to areas where they suspect residents may be vulnerable and easier to con.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said of the Birkby burglary: “Huddersfield CID are appealing for witnesses after a 92-year-old couple were the victims of a bogus burglar.
“The suspect could only be described as being a white man in his thirties so we are now appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who knows anything about this burglary, to contact Det Con Ian Carruthers at Huddersfield CID on 01484 436527, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
l There are now 15 live Cold Calling Control Zones within Kirklees and, as part of these zones, residents are offered educational workshops and training to support agencies working within them.
