London police are hunting a fraudster who conned a woman in her nineties into taking a fake vaccine injection and charging her £160 for it.
An official appeal for information from the Intellectual Property Crime Unit of the City of London Police says that the crook targeted the victim at her home on Kingsmead Avenue in Surbiton on December 30th, coming to her door in broad daylight and claiming to be a National Health Service (NHS) worker who had come to vaccinate her against the Chinese coronavirus.
“The victim allowed the man inside her home and was jabbed in the arm with what she described as a ‘dart-like implement’,” the appeal states.
“The man then asked for £160, which the victim paid as he said it would be reimbursed by the NHS, before leaving the premises,” the appeal continues, adding that he returned on January 4th to demand another £100 — although the outcome of that visit is unclear.
“This is a disgusting and totally unacceptable assault on a member of the public which won’t be tolerated,” said Detective Inspector Kevin Ives for the City of London Police.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have information that could assist us in identifying this man to get in touch. It is crucial we catch him as soon as possible as not only is he defrauding individuals of money, he may endanger people’s lives,” he added.
The force is urging members of the public who might have more information on the fraudster to contact them directly by dialling 101, the police non-emergency telephone number, “quoting reference 3042 and the date 07 Jan 2021”.
People who would prefer to keep their tips anonymous are urged to instead contact the independent Crimestoppers charity, either by telephone on 0800 555 111 or through their website, citing the same date and reference number.