A con artist tricked his way into the home of a blind man aged in his 80s and stole cash by pretending to be from the gas board.

The distraction burglary happened at around 9.30am on Saturday, October 28 at a property off Oxford Road in Clacton-on-Sea.

The male suspect knocked on the door of the address and showed some form of identification, however, the victim is registered blind and could not see it.

The victim let the man into his home and shortly afterwards the suspect demanded cash for work he claimed he had completed to a gas fire. He left with the victim’s wallet and a two-figure sum of cash.

The suspect has been described as being white and aged in his mid-30s.

Investigating officer detective constable Richard English, of Clacton Criminal Investigation Department, said: “The suspect quickly established that he could con his way into the victim’s home and take advantage of his vulnerabilities.

“We have information to suggest that this man carried some form of identification and we do not believe this to be genuine. Remember, representatives from water, electric or gas companies are unlikely to call at your home without an appointment.”

Essex Police are also investigating three reports of fraud in Colchester and Wivenhoe that happened between October 24 and October 25.

Three victims, two women aged 77 and 90, and a man aged 91, were contacted by a person claiming to be a police officer from the Serious Fraud Office who told them there were issues with their bank accounts and they needed to withdraw thousands of pounds.

On two of the incidents the money was collected by a courier while in the third the bank grew suspicious and called police before any cash was withdrawn.

Police are appealing for information in relation to the Clacton-on-Sea burglary.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious or has information that can assist with the police investigation should call 101 quoting crime reference 42/153910/17, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.