National scam hits Devon and Cornwall

Devon and Cornwall Police are keen to make local people aware of an ongoing scam that has been operating nationwide which now appears to be happening in the Devon and Cornwall area following some recent reports by members of the public.  

The scam is being carried out by eastern European males and one female. One man will flag down a passing motorist and say that he has run out of fuel. The member of the public often hands over £10.  

The man is then joined by a second eastern European man and woman who try a hard sell of gold jewellery.  

They are using two vehicles, one is a new Mercedes in silver, on German plates and the other is a red Vauxhall Corsa, or similar, on British plates.  

PC Andrew Watson said: “All of the people involved become aggressive towards the public and are quite forceful.  It would appear that a number of people have handed over their money to these offenders.  

“They are travelling throughout the force area and are using large lay-bys for their scam”  

Police are advising members of the public to be aware of this and to report any sightings to the police as soon as possible so we can deal with them.

Areas targetted so far include Morwenstow near Bude, Kelly Bray near Callington, Cullompton, Helston and Redruth.