After an incident near Ross-on-Wye, police are advising householders, particularly those in rural areas, to be on the alert for bogus callers.
Two men talked their way into a cottage in the Strangford area last Friday morning (October 31) and stole cash from a drawer.
The occupant noticed a man at the rear of the property and went out to challenge him.
The man gave an explanation about replacing water pipes and engaged the occupier in conversation for several minutes outside. No identification was produced.
It is believed that while he was distracting the occupier, an accomplice slipped into the cottage and took cash from a bureau drawer. He joined his colleague outside, and they left. The theft was then discovered.
The first man is described as white, in his late twenties, 5ft 7in tall, of medium build with short fair hair and brown eyes. He is described as having a narrow face, pale complexion and a day’s stubble. He was wearing a brown buttoned-up top with a shirt underneath, blue jeans and dirty, dark brown lace-up shoes.
The second man was also white, in his late twenties, also 5ft 7in tall and of medium build. He had close-cropped dark hair, a plumpish face and was clean shaven. He wore a dark, long-sleeved pullover, blue jeans and dark shoes.
The men used a vehicle believed to be a dark-coloured (possibly black or dark blue) Vauxhall Vectra saloon.
Det Insp Jon Roberts, from the operational support unit at Hereford police station, said: “We would like to hear from anyone who might have had these two men call at their home, or who might have seen an unusual dark-coloured Vauxhall Vectra car parked in their locality.
“We would also urge householders to follow the advice of our Knock-Knock campaign and not let people into their homes without proper identification and to be aware that some bogus callers might invite you out of the property while an accomplice slips inside unnoticed. If you have any suspicions about a caller, ring the company they purport to be from or call the police.”
Anyone with information about this particular incident should contact Det Insp Roberts at Hereford police station on 0300 333 3000 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
