No friend of mine

By Janet Maitland
A warning has been issued by the police and Barnet Trading Standards about fraudsters preying on vulnerable people.

An elderly man told the East Barnet Safer Neighbourhood Team that in early January he was approached in the street by a man who pretended to know him. This man was apparently very plausible, shaking his hand and greeting him like a long lost friend.

They walked back to the elderly man’s house, where his “friend” then mentioned cleaning windows before being joined by another man. After they suggested that they could not only clean his windows but also repair the roof and window frames, they disappeared for a while.
On their return, the two men asked for £40 for cleaning the windows and £200 for the repair work, although absolutely no work had been done. The elderly man told them that he didn’t hold money or a chequebook and that he would have to get his nephew to come over with the money. At that point they left and didn’t come back.

The men are described as white, in their 20s or early 30s, of athletic build and between 5ft 8 and 5ft 10 tall. “If you hear of this happening, call 999,” said Paul Hammond, Barnet Boroughwatch.

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