Elderly man scammed out of £700 by gutter gang

An elderly man was scammed out of hundreds of pounds by a group who falsely claimed to have cleaned his guttering, police have said.

The victim reported the fraud after four men visited his home on Smithpool Road in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, shortly before 10:00 GMT on Tuesday.

They told him his gutters needed cleaning and "briefly poked around" in them, Staffordshire Police said, before they demanded entry to the property and to be paid £700.

The resident handed over the cash so the men would leave before telling family members what had happened, a force spokesperson added.

The suspects have been described as white, in their mid-20s and driving a green or blue Peugeot van.

One was said to have a Liverpudlian accent while another said his name was Josh.

Police have warned people to "be vigilant" and urged anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area to get in touch.

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