Police hunt cancer patient fraudsters

 Police are hunting fraudsters who conned a woman out of thousands of pounds hours after she was given a cancer diagnosis.

Linda Gibbs, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was told her illness was terminal on July 14.

Hours later, “heartless” criminals claiming to be from her telephone provider called the 70-year-old and told her a direct debit payment had failed. They asked for her bank details and PIN, saying someone would visit her to pick up her card and sort the payment out. A woman then collected the card which was used to spend thousands of pounds at a jewellers.

Mrs Gibbs died on August 31 and officers have released images of a woman they would like to interview.

Anita Foxley, Mrs Gibbs’ daughter, said: “My mum was very vulnerable after being told she had terminal cancer. The extra stress this put on her life in her last days was unbearable.”

Kevin Knight, of Warwickshire Police, said: “Heartless criminals regularly prey on the most vulnerable.”