Residents in Northants were more likely to be victims of distraction burglary than those living elsewhere in England and Wales last year. Fourteen out of every 10,000 households within the county fell victim to the crime in 2003/04, according to new Home Office figures.
In Wales, only two out of every 10,000 homes were recorded as having suffered a distraction burglary.
In distraction burglaries offenders gain entry to homes by deception.
Police warning
The figures - which are the first collated by the Home Office for distraction burglary - also showed the crime accounted for 4% of all burglaries.
Bedfordshire and London also had high numbers of distraction burglaries with 13 out of every 10,000 households affected.
Seven out of every 10,000 households across England and Wales suffered a distraction burglary in 2003/04, the figures showed.
The figures come as Northamptonshire Police warned people to be on their guard after five linked distraction burglaries were carried out in the town by women claiming to be from the charity Age Concern.
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