Do you know this man? Brighton and Hove police have today issued this e-fit in a bid to track down a man who conned an elderly woman by pretending to be from the water board.
The burglar knocked on the woman’s door in Holmes Avenue, Hove, on Friday 16 April, telling her he was working down the road and there was a leak.
He then asked her to go upstairs and switch on the bathroom taps. When he had left the woman realised she had £80 missing from her purse.
It came after a series of similar incidents in which burglars have posed as utility workers, traders and even policemen to con elderly victims in the city.
The suspect is described as white, aged between 35 and 45, 5ft 4in tall, with short brown hair and wearing a dark coloured pullover.
Anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area or who has any information should call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 quoting serial 616 of 16/4.
Sussex Police have issued the following advice:
- If you don’t know who is calling at your house to take your time – a genuine caller will wait for you to contact a utility company to check their identity.
- Look up the number in your phone book or from a utility bill, don’t accept a mobile number offered by the caller.
- You do not have to let people in and if you are uncertain then don’t, however persuasive or plausible the caller is. It is better that a genuine caller is turned away than a burglar is let in.
- Call the police immediately if you become the victim of one of these burglars or if you see anyone behaving suspiciously near where you live.
