This
£100,000 painting was taken from the home of a pensioner last night
by a cruel conman who blagged his way into her home by posing as an
investigator from her bank.
She
had divulged the painting's value during a telephone conversation
with the fraudster, who convinced her that her bank cards had been
used in a crime.
The
89 year-old received a call at her South Kensington home informing
her that someone from her bank would call to collect her debit cards,
which had been compromised by criminals.
During
that telephone conversation she was quizzed about valuable items in
her home and mentioned the painting by Samuel Palmer 'The Comet of
1858.'
Jewellery
was also taken by the conman, who is now being hunted by police.
The
pensioner telephoned her bank to confirm the account, but the caller
had not hung up and simply posed as her branch, confirming the story
to her.
The
conman is described as white man, believed to be aged in his 30s,
approx 5ft 10inches tall, with dark hair and spoke with an English
accent.
Anyone
with information is asked to contact Kensington and Chelsea Serious
Acquisitive Crime Unit on 0208 246 0173 or call Crimestoppers on 0800
555 111.
Police
have offered the following advice: Neither your bank nor the
police would ever ring you and state that they are coming to your
home to pick up your card, so never hand it over to anyone who comes
to collect it.
Your
bank will never ask you to authorise anything by entering your pin
into the telephone handset.
Never
share your pin with anyone - the only times you should use your pin
is at a cash machine or when you use a chip and pin machine in a shop
/ restaurant.
If
you think you have been the victim of a fraud or scam of this nature
report the crime to your local police.
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