Fife pensioners have been targeted by a coronavirus conman trying to gain entry to their houses by claiming he was there to administer their vaccine.
Members of the public have been urged to be vigilant in light of the incidents which took place in the Ravenscraig Park area of Kirkcaldy.
A 78-year-old woman answered the door to a young man wearing a hoodie at around 7pm on March 17 who said he was there to give her a Covid-19 jab.
The unwanted visitor claimed it would “only take five minutes” and, despite the resident’s insistence he was at the wrong house, repeatedly tried to convince her to let him in.
The woman refused and alerted one of her daughters, who arrived at her mother’s a short time later to find the man had gone.
It has since emerged that another elderly woman living nearby was also targeted on the same night – prompting fears the man had deliberately picked the homes of vulnerable people.
“Doesn’t bear thinking about”
The 78-year-old has been left badly shaken by the incident, and her daughter hopes her mum’s experience will raise awareness of the underhand tactics would-be criminals are going to.
“Both myself and my sister were so worried for my mum,” said her daughter, who does not want to be named.
“We went from being upset to annoyed wondering why did he target my mum.
“She was the only one in her row he went to so makes us worry that he had been hanging about prior to going to her door.
“In the next row up he went to another elderly woman’s house.
“They are the only two we know about.
“It makes you wonder how he knew to pick those houses and we just keep thinking what would have happened had she opened the door.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Both incidents have been reported to Police Scotland who are investigating, and anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked to report it by calling 101.
The warning comes amid a number of reports of criminals attempting, and in some cases succeeding, to steal cash or personal details from people keen to get the vaccine.
In one case, a man in London knocked on the door of a 92-year-old woman and administered her with a fake vaccine before taking a £160 payment, which he told her would be reimbursed by the NHS.
In other cases, people have reported suspicious text messages with a link to a booking site which mimics an NHS page, but asks for personal details including bank account numbers.
Con artists have also been known to use telephone calls to extract payments or bank details which can then be sold to organised criminal gangs or used to order and pay for goods online.
Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: “The vaccine is a crucial tool in fighting the coronavirus and keeping people safe.
“Thankfully, the number of reports into Action Fraud are relatively low but we have seen an increase in the last two months, particularly around scam text messages.
“Remember, the NHS will never ask for your bank account or card details. Anyone asking for payment for the vaccine is committing fraud. If you have received a text message, email or phone call where someone has tried to charge you for the vaccine please report this to Action Fraud, even if you haven’t given them any money.”