City Couple Conned

A COUPLE were duped on their doorstep by repairman tricksters.

An elderly couple, aged 75 and 87, from the Little Heath area of Coventry, West Midlands, were ambushed on their own doorstep by four imposters claiming they had come to offer to repair broken guttering.

The couple allowed the four men into their home on November 23 between  9:30 am and 10:30 am, and had given them quantities of cash for them to carry out the repair work on the apparent broken guttering.

The four perpetrators are said to be white men, between the ages of 30 and 40, and the principle offender was described to be wearing a knee-length, padded, blue coat, along with yellow plastic gloves, with a height of about 5 foot 8 inches.

It is said that the couple had been distracted by a worker, while a further amount of money was taken from a handbag without the couple noticing.

The elderly couple were said to not be harmed or injured during the act but were left feeling distressed and vulnerable.

An elderly woman from Coventry City gave her opinion on the situation but asked to be anonymous, she said: “It makes you feel so vulnerable in your own home, it should be somewhere safe and secure.

I’ll be far more careful of who I open the door to from now on.”

A police spokesman of the West Midlands Police said the offenders were “callous and despicable” to target elderly and vulnerable people.

“We strongly advise all householders not to let strangers into their homes. If they feel vulnerable or threatened by persistent callers they should contact police immediately.”

The West Midlands Police are urging people to come forward to police if they have any information on such incidents, as well as this one, and if they can help identify the man of the above description, to call 0845 113 5000 and speak to officers attached to the Burglary Team at Stoney Stanton Road police station.