Elderly couple are conned by Christmas hamper bogus caller

Cops are hunting a bogus caller who conned two vulnerable pensioners into buying a dodgy Christmas hamper.

The crook duped the 88-yearold man and his wife, 86, into handing over more than £ 100 when he called at the Whitehaugh Avenue home.

It’s understood the callous fraudster appeared around midday on Tuesday claiming he was leaving the country and needed to get rid of food and clothes from the basket.

He talked the innocent couple into handing over a three-figure sum of cash and fled.

However, after he left the victims discovered the items they had purchased were not worth anything close to what they paid and alerted the cops to the scam.

Police in Paisley are now appealing for any witnesses to come forward and warned against handing money to cold callers.

Inspector Tracy Harkins, from Paisley’s community policing team, said: “A male attended at the home of an 88-year-old man and an 86- year- old woman in Whitehaugh Avenue around midday on Tuesday.

“He talked them into handing over a three- figure sum of money for a hamper containing foodstuffs and clothing which did not match that value.

“If this individual attended at your door trying to sell items, or if you purchased items from him then I would urge you to get in contact with us.

“I would also ask anyone who may have seen this individual in the Whitehaugh Avenue area to get in touch

She added: “I would also urge people to be very cautious about handing over cash to anyone cold calling at your door.

“Reputable firms will very rarely, if ever, sell this way. If you have any concerns at all about someone attending your house, close and lock your door and alert the police immediately.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.