An elderly woman has been left devastated after losing £1,100 after she was duped into having her roof fixed by fraudsters.
Police say the 81-year-old victim was approached by a man who noticed she needed her roof tiles replacing.
A price of £45 was agreed initially, but then increased to £1,000, which the victim was pressured into agreeing.
When the victim realised her mistake she allegedly tried to cancel the payment, but it was too late as the offender had already cashed the funds, police confirmed.
Detective Inspector Ed Cook of Nottinghamshire Police is leading the investigation. He said: "This was a brazen and shameful deception by an offender who deliberately targeted a vulnerable lady at her own home.
“While it is understandable that reports like this are unnerving for the community, I want the public to be reassured that we have increased patrols in the area and that we are thoroughly investigating the incident.
“Although quite rare, this type of offending can have a considerable impact on victims and is always treated with the utmost seriousness by the police. If people are approached by anyone wanting to carry out unwanted work on their house they should call us immediately.
"We are appealing to anyone who saw anything suspicious on Highfield Road in Nuthall at around 11am on Wednesday, February 17 to come forward and help with our investigation.
“Please call 101, quoting incident number 175 of 17 February 2021 if you can help with our investigation or Trading Standards for further guidance."
