People in Lichfield are being reminded to ask for ID after a bogus caller targeted elderly residents in Fradley.
A man claiming to work for Homezone visited flats on Church Lane at 1.45pm on Tuesday (March 30) saying that he was checking how secure their door locks were and to check if all the flats had the same type of lock.
Despite admitting that he had no ID, he was still allowed entry into the hall of one home. He asked to borrow a key to try in the door lock but had no idea how such locks worked and had to have it demonstrated. He also enquired if there was a back door to the premises.
Homezone have stressed that the man was not working for them and that there has been no such check on door locks authorised in the Fradley area. If there had been, they would have written to residents to advise them in advance, as they always do before carrying out any work on their properties, and their operators would carry ID.
The police have now been informed about the matter and are warning residents to have door chains installed and never to open doors fully to callers they are not expecting. Nor should they let anyone into their homes without seeing ID and, if necessary, they should telephone Homezone to check the authenticity of a caller before letting them in. The number to ring is 01543 420800.
If you see a crime taking place or about to take place, ring 999. To report a non-emergency, contact 0300 123 4455. Always ask for an Incident Room Log Number, as this is invaluable if the police need to follow up.