Pensioner has £11k stolen from card

Wednesday 2nd April 2014

Detectives investigating a report of a distraction theft in Maidstone have released images of two people they want to speak to.

A man aged in his 80s says he was approached at the tills in Morrisons in Sutton Road by the couple, who told him he had dropped £10 and then asked if he could provide directions to Maidstone Hospital, as the woman was going to see her mother.

The man later realised that his bank cards were missing. It emerged that over £11,000 had been spent on one of the cards.

DC Claire Beckett, from Kent Police, said: “There are a number of techniques that people use to distract others. Currently the three main methods are telling someone they have dropped money; offering to help put shopping in the boot; and claiming that the victim has a nail in the tyre of their car.
“I would ask the public to be really vigilant to this type of activity, and to report any suspicious activity to police.”

Anyone with information or who can identify the people in these images is asked to contact DC Beckett on 01622 604336. Alternatively, call Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, quoting crime reference SI/YY/1018/14.

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