Neighbour and PCSO prevent £4,000 fraud
PCSO and neighbour work together to stop elderly woman being scammed of £4,000. - Credit: Police-STOCK
A quick-thinking neighbour and an alert PCSO prevented an elderly woman being scammed out of £4,000.
East Cambs Police said it happened in Ely.
A police spokesperson said the victim was an “elderly and vulnerable woman”.
A man had knocked at her door in Ely and claimed her gutters needed cleaning so she wrote him a cheque.
“However, he took the cheque and another blank one which he fraudulently filled out and signed for £4,000,” said the spokesperson.
“Thankfully, we were alerted by a neighbour and one of our PCSOs was able to contact the victim’s bank before the cheque was cashed.”
Police said they continue to investigate and “we are doing best to track down the offender”.
Most Read
- 1 Smoke plume in village near Cambridge thought to be car fire
- 2 Warwick Davis and daughter Annabelle cut the ribbon at special opening
- 3 Caravan site wants 10 new lodges to cope with demand
- 4 Stansted Airport and Cambridge trains disrupted after tree falls on tracks
- 5 Have your say on proposed commercial development in Ely
- 6 Casualty treated for smoke inhalation following house fire
- 7 Threat to cancel or 'indefinitely pause' £450m Ely rail upgrade
- 8 Insurers to pay for £725,000 house replacement
- 9 Retiring café owner desperate not to see shop 'back at square one'
- 10 Fenland: First they came with wind (turbines) now the sun (solar)
The spokesperson warned: “Please be vigilant and look out for vulnerable relatives and neighbours.
“Criminals may offer gardening work or maintenance services as a cover story, or carry out substandard, unnecessary or overpriced work.
“They can use persuasive sales techniques to pressure people into make hasty decisions.”
