Elderley Cheltenham man scammed out of £1,500
Police are now warning residents to be vigilant.
Last updated 29th Sep 2020
An elderly man in Cheltenham has been scammed out of £1,500 for a 10 minute gardening job, by unknown men who demanded he hand over more cash.
Police are warning people to be wary of those offering services door-to-door and unannounced, after the original fee was set at £100 to kill some weeds on a driveway.
The incident happened in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham last Thursday (3 September), after two men approached an elderly resident and offered the work.
When the victim agreed to the job for £100, the men upped the fee to £1,500 and demanded the money - so he travelled to town and withdrew cash.
The elderly man handed it over to the scammers, who sprayed his driveway for 10 minutes and left the area in what is believed to be a white van.
Officers are appealing for anyone with information, dashcam footage or CCTV to come forward, quoting incident 151 of 4 September.
Gloucestershire Constabulary is now urging people to make their elderly or vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours aware of this type of scam.