Bogus charity collector

A teenage boy has been arrested after four householders were targeted by a bogus charity collector.

Between 6.00pm and 9.00pm on Friday 6 July 2012, the offender knocked on the doors of the houses in Bamford and claimed that he was collecting sponsorship money for charity.

One victim handed over a pound, but on the other three occasions no money was given and the offender asked to be allowed into the house so he could go to the toilet.
Once inside, he walked around the house and managed to steal money from the purse of one victim, but on the other two occasions the victims grew suspicious and asked him to leave.

The offender was described on each occasion as being a white teenage boy, about 5ft tall and of slim build.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of fraud and burglary and has been bailed until 18 August 2012.

Police Constable John Byrne said: "We suspect that the offender knocked on the doors of more than the four victims that we have been called by, and those affected themselves may not have realised that the inquiry was bogus, so I would appeal to anyone in the area who has been approached by a boy matching the description to come forward.

"We would also like to reassure residents that we have an investigation in place and would remind residents of some basic measures they could take to avoid falling foul to the bogus caller."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Incidents - Friday 6 july

Sometime between 6pm and 6.30pm, the offender knocked on the front door of the house on Fieldhead Avenue. The victim, a 71-year-old woman, handed over £1.

At about 7.30pm the offender knocked on the door of the house on Broadhalgh Avenue. He was allowed in, but the victim, a 70-year-old man asked him to leave after he grew suspicious.

Shortly afterwards, the offender went to another house on Broadhalgh Avenue. Again the victim, this time a 61-year-old woman, grew suspicious of him after he was allowed inside and asked him to leave.

At about 9pm, the offender went to the house on Norwich Avenue. When he was inside the house he managed to steal cash from the 92-year-old woman's purse.

To help avoid falling foul to the bogus caller:

• Keep all external doors locked at all times, whether you are at home or not. 
• Stop and think before you open the door. If possible, look out of the window or use a door viewer (spy-hole) to check whether you know the caller. 
• If you have a door bar or chain, put it on before opening the door and don't open the door completely until you are happy with the caller's identity. 
• Always ask for the caller to show identification. A genuine caller will be happy for you to check this with their employer. 
• If you have not got a door bar or chain, ask the caller to push their identity card through the letterbox. 
• If you still have any doubts, ask them to call back when a family member, friend or neighbour can be present. Genuine callers would never wish to cause distress, and would be happy to call again. 
• An outside light over your door will help you to see a caller clearly if it is dark. 
• Remember that friends, neighbours and relatives can help by setting up password schemes or acting as a nominated neighbour.