Pensioners are most at risk from doorstep conmen

They have condemned the sinister racket which involves criminals travelling from all over the country.

Police believe there is a growing trend of marketing potential "hits", and that has led to some pensioners being victims over and over again.

They say many bogus callers carry out their crimes across the country.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Kelly, Cleveland's director of crime operations, said there was no concrete evidence of the trade in names.

But he said information received suggests it is a widespread practice, and that is why some elderly people are repeat victims.

He quoted the example of Irish criminals who came to Teesside and, in a couple of months, had conned 21 victims out of at least �9,000.

Police have again stressed the importance of checking the ID of callers.