Awful news reaches me of a bogus caller menacing and elderly couple into giving him cash for utterly false work in the Whitehorse Road/Howdles Lane area of Brownhills, that took place Tuesday, 30th October 2018.

The couple’s son, Chris Clarke said:

WARNING

Yesterday my mom and dad who are both in their 90s opened the door to a man who claimed he was working on the opposite house at the end of their garden.

He said their trees had damaged the fence and wanted £250 towards repair… This was not true.

He demanded the money and said if they didnt didn’t pay they would go to prison. My mom said they had no money. He persisted. My mom was scared so gave him £50. Not enough he demanded. So my dad gave him another £120.

He then ran off to Whitehorse Road.

He is medium build, grey top and dirty jeans and also steel toe cap boots. He is missing most of upper teeth on one side.

I now know there was a second man on a mobile which the man at the house made my mom speak to… It was him also asking for money and saying about prison.

Please share and catch this scum… Police are now involved.

Thanks..

Please tell your relatives and neighbours about this scam, and impress upon them how important it is not to be menaced into giving money for services  at the door, no matter how plausible the people demanding cash are.. Genuine companies will always contact you by other means.

Explain that no official body will turn up unannounced demanding money for services like gardening, drain cleaning, fence repairs, tree pruning etc., and that if they are at all unsure of any caller, to close the door and contact the police.

Scumbags preying on the elderly and vulnerable are lower than a snake’s knees.

Please,  if you have any further information relating to this matter, or if you’ve witnessed something suspicious, please contact West Midlands Police by dialling 101 (999 in an emergency, obviously) or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.