Police In Crawley Warn Of Bogus Callers

Wednesday, 2 June 2021 06:00

By Jade McLean

Police in Crawley are reminding residents to be alert for scammers, following two cases in the town last month.

On Tuesday, May 18, two men called at the address of a man in his late sixties in Vanbrugh Close, Bewbush, said they were from the Council and were checking for water leaks.

They were in the address for some time and after they left the resident found that a valuable coin collection had been taken.

Both men were described as white with accents that were not local to the area, wearing hi-vis yellow jackets, medical masks and black baseball caps.

On the following day, a man described as of southern European appearance and accent, with short black hair, wearing medical mask, a grey jumper with motif on the front, and blue jeans, called at an address in Garrick Walk, Tilgate, saying he was checking for a drainage problem.

After he left the resident, a woman in her nineties, realised that a small safe containing several thousand pounds cash had been taken, as well as two sapphire rings, some saving books and a passport. However the books and passport were later found abandoned in Southwater.

Police are not yet linking the two cases.

PC Matt Hollingdale of Crawley CID said:

"If you were in those areas on 18 or 19 May and saw any suspicious activity, or if you have had similar callers recently, please contact us either online or by calling 101, quoting serials 554 of 18/05 or 932 of 19/05.

"These type of crimes are very infrequent in this area and you can help us keep it so by ensuring suspicious activity is regularly reported - using 999 if suspects are actually present."

Police want residents to remember the phrase, "if in doubt, keep them out".

They're also reminding residents that there are a number of ways of staying safe:

Use your door viewer to see who’s there - if you open the door put the chain on first.
Always ask for ID and check it with the company before letting somebody into your home.
Use the phone number advertised in the phone book or online, as the number on their identity card could be fake.
For a utility company, call the customer service department. Close the door while you do this and remember that genuine callers won’t mind checks. If you feel at all unsure, schedule a time for the caller to come back when a friend or relative is there.
For pre-planned appointments with utility companies, a password scheme can be set up.