Be on your guard over fraudsters

We’re asking residents to remain vigilant to fraudsters following a number of recent incidents. On Sunday, officers arrested a 24-yearold man alleged to have targeted elderly residents by selling cleaning products at inflated prices. A neighbour saw a man acting suspiciously in the Oxclose area of Washington and called police. It transpired that a 90-year-old resident had paid £40 for products that had a value of less than £5. A suspect matching the caller’s description was located and found in possession of cleaning products which appeared to have had doctored price labels. He remains under investigation. Meanwhile, a pensioner from

South Tyneside handed over £7,500 to scammers, believing he had already been a victim of fraud. He was told he needed to withdraw cash and hand it over to a secure courier so it could help with "police” inquiries. Last week, the courier suspected of taking the cash was arrested and charged in connection with the conspiracy – bringing the total number of arrests to six.

Take care when dealing with coldcallers or if someone turns up at your door unannounced. If in doubt, hang up or close the door and report to police, via the “report an incident” section of our website or by calling 101.