Warning after elderly woman robbed by bogus plumbers in Dollis Hill

Police are warning Dollis Hill residents to be wary of bogus callers after an elderly woman was burgled by men claiming they needed to turn her water off.

Sgt Bryan Wappat raised the alarm to residents in the Waterloo Road area after a woman in her 80s opened the door to two men claiming they were plumbers tending to an emergency leak in a neighbouring house on January 19.

The men engaged the woman in conversation before making off with cash and jewellery.

The incident comes after a group of four men posing as plumbers targeted an elderly woman in Canterbury Terrace in Queen’s Park on January 4.

Sgt Wappat said: “The elderly woman in this case was not threatened by the two men, but sometimes this kind of theft can feel worse because they gain their victim’s trust and leave them feeling duped and vulnerable.”

Taking to social media, Sgt Wappat Tweeted: “Dollis Hill residents please don’t open your doors to anyone claiming that they need access to your house to turn water off.”

He urged anyone with suspect callers not to open their doors and to call 999 or local Police on 101.