Credit card fraudsters trick OAP, 80, out of £2,500 and go on spending spree in east London

A man in his 80s has been conned out of £2,500 in what detectives say was a cruel ‘courier’ fraud—despite refusing to withdraw cash from a machine at Tower Hill.

The fraudsters went on a spending spree in shops and stores around east London using his credit and debit cards.

Now detectives want to trace in a man they say acted as a courier who collected the pensioner’s cards from his home having been tricked out of giving away his PIN details.

The pensioner received a call at 2pm on November 17 from a man using a ‘withheld’ number who claimed to be “from police at Hammersmith” saying that fraudulent activity had been discovered on his cards.

He refused a request to go to Tower Hill to withdraw £4,000 for “evidence”—but did give away his PIN details and security information before the courier arrived on his doorstep.

Detectives have released a CCTV image of a man who called at the pensioner’s house in Bermondsey saying her was a courier. The suspect is described as Asian aged 25 to 35, with a beard, wearing a black anorak.

Witnesses or anyone with information is being asked to call Walworth CID on 101 or via Twitter @MetCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-55111 (crimestoppers-uk.org).