Bogus Firefighter Warning

Bogus Firefighter - Warning

Firefighters and Police are warning people to be aware of a conman, who claims to be a Firefighter, in order to obtain money by deception.

A number of incidents have been reported to Police throughout the Country where the man has claimed to be a Firefighter with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. The man approaches lone women in the street, car parks or shops and claims he has lost his money, or locked his wallet in his car and needs to travel home to retrieve his car keys. The man claims to be a serving Firefighter. He shows a false identity badge and gives a false contact telephone number to women, following this he promises to pay back any money he borrows. So far, no money has ever been returned.

In his most recent attempt, the man approached a shop owner in the Selby area and asked for money. The shopkeeper, who is of a trusting nature, lent the man a sum of money, which has not been returned.

This case has appeared on a recent edition of Crimewatch, where the man has carried out this deception all over the Country.

Hayley Buzzel from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We have had a number of calls from members of the public trying to trace this man after he fails to send the money back to them as promised. He uses a number of different names, none of which are traceable to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, and we would encourage anyone with information about who this bogus firefighter is to contact police straight away."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service can confirm that this man is not a serving Firefighter, or in any way linked to the organisation.

The same man is believed to be responsible for similar offences in nine counties across the UK including Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Humberside, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Staffordshire.  He may also have committed offences in neighbouring areas such as Durham and Lancashire.

Tony Lidgate from North Yorkshire Police says "We are working with Police Forces Country wide to catch this man and put him behind bars. In the meantime we urge people, especially women, to be on their guard against this plausible conman." He continues"If you have been approached by this man, we would urge you to contact the Police as soon as possible."

For more information visit www.bbc.co.uk/crime/crimewatch or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111