Heartless conmen targeted a 96-year-old woman with lies concerning her bank cards and went on to plunder her account.

Croydon Council’s trading standards team was called on Monday, July 29, by a bank in Lower Addiscombe Road who had become aware of the theft from their elderly customer’s account.

She had received a telephone call from a man claiming to be from the bank, who told her that the magnetic strips on her bank cards needed to be replaced and asked for her pin code, which she told him.

Within minutes of the call, a youth aged about 15 or 16, about five foot two inches tall and wearing dark clothing arrived to collect the cards. He followed her into her flat and saw where the bank cards were kept.

He told her to put the cards into a large white envelope and asked her to sign the seal. Before leaving, he got her to sign a piece of paper, torn from a notebook he was carrying, claiming it was a receipt for the cards.

A short time later, £250 was withdrawn from her account at a nearby cash-dispensing machine.

Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: “This is a scam that’s currently being worked across London. As well as ours, the trading standards departments of a number of authorities have had reports and are working to clamp down on what is a nasty, cowardly crime.

“It’s worth reiterating that nobody should ever hand over cash, cards or personal information to strangers appearing at their front door, unless they’re completely confident that the caller’s reason for asking is legitimate.

“Always ask for identification and then double check, with a phone call, that the caller is who he’s claiming to be. A genuine caller will not object; and if the caller says the check isn’t necessary, then it most certainly is.”