Two men try to con elderly woman

Two men claiming to be from British Gas tried to con an elderly woman at her home in Littleborough.

Around 4pm last Thursday (7 January), the 76-year-old victim was at home on Shorehill when a man knocked at the door.

A man claiming to be from British Gas asked to check her meter because there was 'going to be an explosion'.

The woman let him in and moved some items to let him get to the meter but then a second man appeared wearing the same clothing.

At that point the woman felt unsafe and told them both to get out.

The men both left her house and nothing was stolen.

Both men were described as white, 5ft 6ins tall around 25 to 30 years old. They were both of a medium build and wore blue baseball caps with a green stripe running through it and blue fleeces.

One man spoke with a Polish accent and the other spoke with an English accent.

Detective Constable Mike Berger of Rochdale CID said: "Targeting vulnerable people, especially lone elderly women is a disgusting and cowardly thing to do.

"Luckily in this instance the victim quickly realised something wasn't right and asked them to leave but if she hadn't this could have been so much more distressing for her.

"To stop anyone from falling victim to this type of crime I would advise everyone to check the identification of any official callers, who will be happy to do so and let you check with their company.

"The best defence is to have a viewer or spy hole and a strong door chain fitted and if you have any concerns about a caller, contact a neighbour, friend, a member of the family and then the police."

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4557 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.