Woman conned out of thousands just hours after terminal cancer diagnosis
Fraudsters conned a woman out of thousands of pounds hours after she was given a cancer diagnosis.
Linda Gibbs, of Coniston Way, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was told her illness was terminal on July 14.
Hours later, "heartless" criminals claiming to be from her telephone provider called the 70-year-old and told her that a direct debit payment had failed.
They asked her for her bank details and PIN and said that someone would visit her to pick up her card to sort the payment out.
A woman then came to her door and collected the card which was used to make a purchase worth thousands of pounds at a jewellers in Warwickshire.
Mrs Gibbs died on August 31 and officers have released images of a woman they would like to speak to in connection with the investigation.
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."
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."
