POLICE are urging homeowners to be vigilant after reports of fraudsters targeting elderly residents in the south of the borough.

On August 23, officers received a report that a vulnerable elderly woman had been conned out of a substantial amount of money by a bogus official.

The fraudster had turned up on the woman’s doorstep in Downs Drive, West Timperley, purporting to be from an official organisation. The woman was confused and didn’t record where the man had said he was from.

After she handed cash over to the man, he returned two days later for more money. Fortunately, the elderly woman refused this time.

The man is described as white, bald, middle-aged and wearing a t-shirt with a logo.

In a separate incident, two men and a boy knocked on the door of an elderly man’s house in Winterslow Avenue, Brooklands, at the weekend.

They insisted on jet washing the man’s drive at a cost of £120. Luckily, a neighbour had spotted the men and challenged them. They left emptyhanded. The men were in their 40s and 60s and the boy was aged around 15 years old.

Police are urging residents to never do business on their doorstep or accept offers of goods and services over the phone. Officers are also asking people to ensure their family and friends are wary, particularly neighbours who are older.

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.