A window cleaning conman who claims to be employed by a weekly newspaper is being hunted by detectives.
The fraudster has targeted elderly people in the Twerton area of Bath, insisting he works for the Bath Chronicle.
The man told each household he visited that he charged £2 each time he cleaned their windows, and that they owed him between £10 and £12 for the past six months of work.
None of the residents spoken to by the Chronicle since the incidents, which took place on Saturday, gave the man any money.
In a report on the attempted fraud, the Chronicle confirmed it does not offer a window cleaning service.
The newspaper is now working with the police to locate the suspect.
Alex Brown, head of content at the Chronicle, told HTFP: “We’re quite appalled that anyone would use our name to attempt to con Bath residents out of money.
“No one connected to the Chronicle would go door to door for any reason and our journalists carry identification. We urge anyone in any doubt over someone’s identification to call the police.”
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A newspaper reporter who also cleans windows? I know wages are low in the industry, but still.
Anyway, this sounds like an intelligence test and I’m pleased to see everyone passed. Roma Victor!
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‘Police hunt window cleaning conman’
‘…is being hunted by detectives’
‘fraudster’
‘The newspaper is now working with the police to locate the suspect’
“We’re quite appalled that anyone would use our name to attempt to con Bath residents out of money.”
Then – ‘None of the residents spoken to by the Chronicle since the incidents, which took place on Saturday, gave the man any money.’ ???
It was a slow news day in Bath and at HTFP.
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“No one connected to the Chronicle would go door to door for any reason”. Not even a reporter for a story? The phone will do I suppose…
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Well, reporters go ‘door to door’ on death knocks, house fires, neighbourhood scandals etc – or at least they did when I was younger. Don’t they do so now? Perhaps it’s all left to gleanings from Facebook & Twitter.
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Photographers and their ladders comes to mind…
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