Bogus builders trick elderly woman out of £8,000 (From Enfield Independent)

Bogus builders trick elderly woman in Bush Hill Park out of £8,000

5:17pm Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

A pair of bogus builders have tricked an elderly woman out of £8,000.

The scam artists approached the 80-year-old victim by knocking on the door of her Queen Anne’s Grove home in Bush Hill Park just after 11am on Tuesday, September 4. 

She let them inside after they convinced her that her chimney breast was leaking.

Once inside, the con artists poured water onto the walls and carpets in the upstairs of her semi-detached house.

The woman went to an Enfield Town bank to collect £8,000 they claimed was necessary for the work.

When they told her they would need more money in a few days to finish the job, she called the bank again, which alerted the police.

The men are white with Irish accents. They were hanging around in Queen Anne’s Grove and Park Avenue on Tuesday.

DI Dave Snowdon, of Enfield Police, said: “This is a despicable act carried out by two cowardly individuals. Bogus callers succeed because they sound plausible.

“Individuals who target and prey on the elderly and vulnerable need to be identified and brought to justice.”