Star comment: Goodwill is also victim of crooks
There are words to describe the women who have been posing as charity collectors in order to fleece older folk of money, and many of those words are not printable.
According to West Mercia Police, they claim to be collecting for either a deaf or disability charity.
In one incident in Oswestry, a woman in her 70s who was approached afterwards discovered that money was taken from her purse.
In another incident a couple in their 60s were approached asking them to sign a petition for the disabled and blind children. In the moments that followed they placed a form over the victim’s wallet, and money was taken.
The common theme of the crimes is that the culprits are posing as people who are seeking to do good, when in fact they are crooks.
Posing as people of virtue is a trick, in other words, to gain a measure of trust and goodwill, which it is always their intention to betray.
So it is not just money these people are taking, they are also stealing goodwill, taking advantage of the generosity of ordinary people, and in doing so are making things more difficult for the genuine charity collectors.
If people think the genuine charity collectors are little more than muggers with a special mode of operation, then they will not give money, and the charities and their causes they support will suffer.
The crimes have taken place at widely dispersed places in the West Mercia region, so the implication is that the culprits are what you might call touring criminals, who don’t stay long in one place in case the locals get wise to them.
It is sad to have to warn people to be careful when approached in public in this way, but there it is. Genuine collectors will not mind at all if you ask to check their proof of identity and will understand you wanting to protect your personal space.
And there is some good news of sorts. Images of the suspects have been caught on camera. They can steal, but they cannot hide – if they covered their faces it would be an immediate giveaway. So there is a realistic prospect that they will be recognised and caught.
Unpleasant as their crimes are, they should be kept in perspective. You would need to be unlucky to come across these people, and even if you did, being vigilant and keeping a tight grip on your money would be likely to thwart them and sent them away empty handed.
While you make a call to the police.
