5:02PM, Fri Aug 31, 2012

Pensioner Conned Out Of Hundreds Of Pounds By Builders

By Philippa Goymer Location: Gosforth

An elderley man has been conned out of hundreds of pounds after three people charged the man for building repairs to his home that were never carried out.

Concerned bank staff in Gosforth alerted police when they saw the man withdraw a large quantity of cash and hand it to a man outside the bank.

An investigation revealed the man had made a number of withdrawals over a period of months for building work at his home in Kenton, which does not appear to have been carried out.

Two men aged 46 and 19 and a woman aged 40 have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

Acting Chief Inspector Dave Culverwell said: "This was a heartless and cynical attempt to con an elderly man out of a significant sum of money.”

"We have arrested three people and are they are being interviewed in connection with this incident.

"The investigation is ongoing and I would urge people to contact us if they have information about this incident, or about suspicious activity, people or vehicles in their neighbourhood.

"I would also like to remind people that doorstep crime involves people calling at your home who you do not know. If anyone calls who you are not expecting you should ask to see their identification and should never let anyone inside.

"If the caller asks you to buy a service, they should be asked to return, allowing you to seek advice from relatives, friends and neighbours before doing anything. If in doubt, call the police."

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 ext 69191, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.