A 90-year-old woman bravely chased two conmen out of her Oldham home with her walking stick after they barged through her front door last month.
The pensioner was targeted at her Fenny Hill home by two men claiming they needed to turn her water off at about 2pm on July 1, but the woman quickly realised something was wrong and chased them off.
Police are now appealing to residents in the area to be especially vigilant and be on the look-out for this sort of scam.
The victim heard a knock at her door and when she opened it was confronted by a man she had never seen before.
He claimed his name was Anthony and had moved in next door and needed to turn her water off.
The woman asked for identification at which point ‘Anthony’ called to another man and both of them barged their way into the house.
One of the men invented a story about checking the stopcock and started to remove items from a kitchen cupboard, at which point the 90-year-old woman realised the other offender was searching through her living room.
At this point she raised her walking stick to the men and chased them out of the house before they could steal anything, waving her stick.
The first man, claiming to be Anthony, was described as white, about 5ft 8in tall, 35-40-years-old, with dark greasy hair, clean shaven but of scruffy appearance.
He was wearing a loose-fitting jacket and sandy coloured boots and spoke with an Oldham accent.
The other man was also white, unshaven, also scruffy looking but was slightly taller and was wearing a brown knitted hat with a peak.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I want to thank the police for their swift response and their care after this happened. I urge elderly people to be more careful than me and not to hesitate in contacting the police if they have any trouble.”
Inspector Alan Humphries said: “This woman showed incredibly bravery to chase two conmen out of her home.
“She quickly smelt a rat and thankfully she had the presence of mind to scare these men using the threat of her trusted walking stick and by calling the police.
“As a rule, police would not advise homeowners to try and tackle offenders because of the possible risks that might pose – belongings can be replaced, people cannot.
“What we would advise is that homeowners take every possible precaution to not fall victim to this sort of trick.
“For example, if you answer your door make sure you keep it on the chain or look through the spyhole if you have one.
“If you do not know that person, keep the door on the chain or closed and ask for identification.
“A reputable caller will be happy to show you identification and if necessary, for you to check it by calling their employer.
“This sort of criminality is utterly cowardly, and we know that even criminals themselves detest elderly women being targeted.
“I would therefore ask people in the community to help be our eyes and ears and if you suspect who may be involved, then call us immediately.
“Lastly, if you live on a street with elderly neighbours, then look out for them and if you see cold-callers going to their door, call the police straight away.”
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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