Bogus callers out in South Ayrshire

Jun 26 2009 by Lisa Boyle

VILE bogus callers are on the prowl in South Ayrshire.

From taking advantage of the elderly and disabled to duping people into giving bank details over the phone, the brazen thieves will sink to any level and stop at nothing to get their hands on people’s cash.

But the police are equally determined to catch the con artists and put them behind bars.

In the last year, there have been 48 bogus calling incidents in Ayrshire.

And that is just the cases where the thieves have been successful.

Scores more have tried their luck and failed.

The good weather brings the callers out – two thirds of the bogus calls in the last year have happened in the past three months.

So police are urging South Ayrshire people to be extra wary at this time of year.

Constable Tom Graham said: “A number of reasons will be given by the bogus caller to try to gain entry to your property and also to gain your confidence.

“A main theme is to offer to carry out work, be it in your garden or on your property, at what seems to be a very good price.

“This price often ends up being extortionate by the time the work is complete.

“Householders often feel intimidated by these callers and end up paying these prices – only to find that the workmanship is either poor or indeed that no work has been done at all.”

Earlier this month, a man gained entry to an elderly lady’s home and stole her purse.

The theft from the house in Ayr’s Mainholm Road happened at around 3pm on June 5.

He is described as 26 to 30 years old, around 6ft 2ins tall and of thin build with dark brown hair. He was wearing a grey jumper and grey trousers.

On leaving the house he got into the passenger’s seat of a grey coloured car.

And in April this year, a pair of con men duped an old lady into believing they were gardeners before nicking her vacuum.

Between 10.30am and 1.30pm on April 17, the men went to the woman’s house in Ayr’s Hawkhill Avenue where they carried out gardening work for her.

However, one of them managed to get into her house and it is suspected that he stole her vacuum.

One of the men is described as being around 20 to 25 years old, of slim build with short, dark brown hair. At the time he was wearing a yellow fluorescent vest and jeans.

The other is of slim build and was wearing a yellow coloured vest and black trousers.

Both men had been in the Hawkhill area handing out business cards in relation to landscaping work.

PC Graham continued: “There are a number of steps that householders can take to keep bogus callers out.

“If you have a door viewer or security chain, use it before you open the door.

“If you have the opportunity to do so then look out through a window to check whether or not you recognise the caller.

“Take your time before you open the door, and if you don’t want to open the door then keep it closed over and keep the caller out.

“Ask for identification and read it properly and check it thoroughly.”

If you suspect that a caller is bogus then call the police.

Or if you have any information on those that commit this sort of crime then contact your local police office or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where calls are free and anonymous.