Police issue warning after conmen strike (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Police issue warning after conmen strike

POLICE say all homeowners should wise up to distraction burglars after a young mother and an elderly widow were the latest to fall victim to con artists.

Wiltshire police this week issued a stern warning to homeowners to check the identity of all doorstep callers from workmen to utility officials.

Two homes were targeted in Warminster and Bradford on Avon last week and police fear homeowners are not being vigilant when opening their doors to strangers.

At 12.30pm on Thursday a man called at a house in Masefield Road, Warminster, asking to read the gas meter.

The owner, a 25-year-old mother, invited the man inside.

When the woman was distracted by her eight-month-old daughter, who was crying in an upstairs bedroom, the man stole more than £400 worth of bracelets from a sideboard.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 40, 5ft 3ins, of skinny build with short, spiky, greying hair.

He was clean shaven, wearing a navy blue top and trousers with a badge on the breast. No vehicle was spotted.

At 7.30pm the same day in a separate incident, two women targeted a 76-year-old widow in Widbrook View, Bradford on Avon, conning their way into her home by asking for a cup of tea. When one of the women asked to use the toilet, the victim accompanied her to the bathroom.

While they were gone, the other woman stole a wallet with £350 cash inside.

Police have no description of the two offenders.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said the public needed to be more vigilant to combat the tactics used by con artists.

"The thieves often work in pairs. While one of them distracts a homeowner, the other makes a search of the property for any items of value.

"They often call at houses pretending to be salesmen or asking to read the meter. It's very important to make sure that the caller is genuine."