Gang pose as police to steal £200,000 from elderly victims

Justin Davenport, Crime Editor
13 Aug 2009

Conmen are posing as police officers to fleece pensioners across London out of tens of thousands of pounds.

The gang telephone elderly people claiming to be investigating a fraud involving their bank. They ask for their victim's bank account details before turning up in "plain clothes" to collect their bank card.

The fraudsters claim they have to run the card through a machine at Scotland Yard to identify the person responsible for the fraud.

Victims are occasionally given a reference number or codeword or asked to place their card in an envelope and write the Pin on a slip of paper. They are told not to speak to anyone because it would jeopardise the investigation.

Scotland Yard today issued images of seven people they wish to speak to as part of their investigation. Detectives have arrested 12 people but believe a much larger group are involved.

So far, they have identified 72 linked offences which has claimed more than £200,000 in cash from pensioners living in the boroughs of Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Waltham Forest, Newham, Edmonton, Barnet, Sutton and in Essex. Police fear there could be many more victims. The stolen cards are used in stores and betting shops.

The images of people wanted for questioning are from CCTV cameras in betting shops.

Officers believe the suspects, who include women, live locally and pass information to each other. Most are in their late teens and early twenties, although recent offences have involved older men.

They are known to contact their victim on more than one occasion to gain their trust and also to revisit them to try to gain their new card data.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Chris Krelle, who is leading the investigation, said: "These cowardly offences are being committed against the most frail and vulnerable people in our communities. It is very important that we identify the offenders and bring them to account for their actions."

Police also appealed to anyone who suspects they may have been the victim of the trick to contact them.

Last November, an 88-year-old woman from Redbridge lost £12,336 from her bank account over a 10-day period.

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 01708 779283 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.