A WOMAN aged in her 90s is among the elderly women targeted by fraudsters in Poole and Bournemouth.

Dorset Police said men have telephoning pensioners pretending to be from banks and BT and gaining their personal information before also visiting their homes to collect their bank cards.

The first incident happened sometime between 9.30am and 11.30am on Tuesday, July 30 at an address along The Avenue in Poole.

The victim, a woman in her nineties, was contacted by phone by an unknown man claiming her bank account had been cloned and demanding her address and bank details. She was also advised a mortgage advisor from her bank would attend her home shortly to collect her cash cards.

Detective Constable Neil Third, of Bournemouth and Poole CID, said: “Sure enough a second man turned up at her door and collected the cards. Fortunately, the victim realised what was going on and told her bank who took prompt action to prevent any loss.”

The offender is described as white, aged around 30, of slim build and around six feet tall. He had short black hair with side burns and was wearing light coloured trousers and a shirt.

Three further offences have been reported in Bournemouth where the victims received calls from men with foreign accents pretending to be from BT and stating that bills had not been paid. In each case this was followed by a further call from somebody purporting to be from the victim’s bank and advising that someone will come to collect their bank card. The person then arrived almost immediately.

The first Bournemouth offence, involving a victim in her eighties, took place at around 8.30pm on the same date on Headswell Avenue in Bournemouth.

The offender has been described as a white man, around six ft tall, aged mid to late twenties, with light brown long messy hair. He was wearing a brown or tan coloured jacket and smart trousers.

The next incident happened on Thursday, between 8am and 12.35pm in Long Road in Bournemouth, targeting a woman in her eighties.

The description of the offender is a white woman, aged in her thirties, around five feet four inches tall and of average build. She has brown slightly wavy medium length hair and was wearing a black and white woven top. The victim reported that the offender’s attire was too casual for working in a bank.

The third reported fraud of this type occurred on the same day along Arcadia Avenue in Bournemouth between 11am and 12pm – the victim being a woman in her nineties.

A woman attended the address. She has been described as white, in her twenties, approximately five feet six inches tall, of slim build and straight shoulder length burgundy hair. She was wearing black leggings, a patterned multi coloured top and was holding a document sleeve containing papers.

DC Third added: “This type of crime is very distressing to the victim.

“I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed any of these incidents to contact police as soon as possible.

“I would ask the local community to be extra vigilant to this type of crime as the offender targeted vulnerable elderly members of the public.

“I urge anyone who has become a victim of such an offence and has yet to report this to contact Dorset Police immediately on the non-emergency number 101.

“I would also like to remind people that no bank or building society employee will ever ask a customer for their bank details or account numbers over the phone.

“We’d urge people to dismiss any calls they receive like this and report them to police by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Please also pass this information on to friends and neighbours.”

Witnesses and anyone with information should call Dorset Police in confidence on 101 quoting incident number 31:296. Alternatively, call the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111 where mobile phone tariffs may apply.