‘Heartless’ fraudsters take thousands of pounds from dying woman

"Heartless" fraudsters conned an elderly woman out of thousands of pounds hours after she was told she was going to die of cancer.

Linda Gibbs died on 31 August aged 70. She was told her cancer diagnosis was terminal on 14 July.

Hours after receiving the news, she was called by someone claiming to be from her telephone provider who told her a direct debit payment had failed.

She gave them her bank details and PIN number and was told someone would come and collect her card to sort the payment out.

A woman arrived at her home in Nuneaton and collected the card, which was then used to buy thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.

Warwickshire Police have released photographs of a woman they want to interview in connection with the investigation, who, they say, may have been wearing a wig at the time the pictures were taken.

Mrs Gibbs’ daughter, Anita Foxley, said: "My mum was very vulnerable after being told she had terminal cancer and to be targeted by these people is unforgivable. The extra stress this put on her life in her last days was unbearable.

"When they targeted her… she must have been at the lowest point that she’s ever been at… I imagine that they preyed on that. Obviously they must have been very convincing, and mum must have trusted them," she added.

"I would really like to see justice served on the woman who came to my mum’s door that day."

Kevin Knight, of Warwickshire Police, said: "These types of heartless criminals regularly prey on the most vulnerable members of the community and in this case they have targeted someone who had just received the most awful news.

"You can only imagine the impact this had on the final weeks of Mrs Gibbs’ life and the anger it continues to cause her family. We believe the woman in these photos has information that will be vital to our enquiries. Please bear in mind that she might be wearing a wig," he added.

(c) Sky News 2017: ‘Heartless’ fraudsters take thousands of pounds from dying woman