Fraudsters steal my parents pension
Donation protected
My parents have lived in West London at the Lancaster West Estate for over 40 years. The estate lies in the shadows of Grenfell tower which was ravaged by fire in 2017. For those who lived through it, the tragedy has left an unspeakable trauma.
That night, my parents were forcibly removed from their home, unable to take their medicines, phones or any personal belongings. This would be hard for anyone but my parents are in their late 80s with serious medical conditions and in need of regular medication. They slept outside that night watching the tower burn.
But their experience was not negative. They still believed in people.
Their belief seemed to be confirmed as the authorities sent more and more workmen to the estate. The authorities have, with good reason, tried to ensure the safety of residents. What this means in reality, is that there are a lot of workmen wearing "hi-vis jackets" asking for access and my parents have obviously given access to these people.
On 4 July, my parents' belief in people was shaken to the core.
About 3:10 pm, someone wearing a hi-vis jacket began knocking at their door relentlessly for at least 10 to 15 minutes. My father has a serious medical condition and from time to time, he faints. At the relevant time, he was unfortunately unconscious and did not hear the knocking on the door. Even though my mother has severe arthritis, she went up the stairs to see who was there.
That person told her it was an emergency and he had come to check the water supply. My mother had no reason to disbelieve him and allowed him in. He led her to the kitchen and made her open the tap to the fullest and told her to watch over it. Meanwhile he and an accomplice ransacked my parents home, searching for valuables. In 5 minutes, they were able to search upstairs, downstairs as well as the balcony, turning their home upside down.
They stole £4000 in cash as well as £2000 in jewellery which my mum has owned since a girl.
About 3 years ago, my father was hospitalised. At that point, he realised that my mother, due to her limited mobility, could not look after herself if he was not there. She could not even walk to the bank to withdraw money to buy basic essentials let alone afford the cost of a funeral. Upon his discharge from hospital, he regularly began to withdraw his pension from the bank, a little at a time, and kept the money at home in case anything were to happen to him again. That money which he had saved for over 3 years for a rainy day was taken by the fraudsters in less than 5 minutes.
The police attended the scene shortly afterwards but there was no forensic evidence to be found. The fraudsters were professionals and wore gloves throughout. It was of no comfort for my parents to be told that this kind of "distraction" burglary was not uncommon and that the elderly were often the targets. It was even less comforting for my parents to know that the prospect of catching the perpetrators was small and the prospect of recovering their money and jewellery was even smaller.
The incident has left my parents shaken, scared and feeling vulnerable. They have become untrusting; they do not trust themselves anymore because how could they have been so gullible. But above all, they have become untrusting of others and they now fear nothing more than then next knock on the door.
That night, my parents were forcibly removed from their home, unable to take their medicines, phones or any personal belongings. This would be hard for anyone but my parents are in their late 80s with serious medical conditions and in need of regular medication. They slept outside that night watching the tower burn.
But their experience was not negative. They still believed in people.
Their belief seemed to be confirmed as the authorities sent more and more workmen to the estate. The authorities have, with good reason, tried to ensure the safety of residents. What this means in reality, is that there are a lot of workmen wearing "hi-vis jackets" asking for access and my parents have obviously given access to these people.
On 4 July, my parents' belief in people was shaken to the core.
About 3:10 pm, someone wearing a hi-vis jacket began knocking at their door relentlessly for at least 10 to 15 minutes. My father has a serious medical condition and from time to time, he faints. At the relevant time, he was unfortunately unconscious and did not hear the knocking on the door. Even though my mother has severe arthritis, she went up the stairs to see who was there.
That person told her it was an emergency and he had come to check the water supply. My mother had no reason to disbelieve him and allowed him in. He led her to the kitchen and made her open the tap to the fullest and told her to watch over it. Meanwhile he and an accomplice ransacked my parents home, searching for valuables. In 5 minutes, they were able to search upstairs, downstairs as well as the balcony, turning their home upside down.
They stole £4000 in cash as well as £2000 in jewellery which my mum has owned since a girl.
About 3 years ago, my father was hospitalised. At that point, he realised that my mother, due to her limited mobility, could not look after herself if he was not there. She could not even walk to the bank to withdraw money to buy basic essentials let alone afford the cost of a funeral. Upon his discharge from hospital, he regularly began to withdraw his pension from the bank, a little at a time, and kept the money at home in case anything were to happen to him again. That money which he had saved for over 3 years for a rainy day was taken by the fraudsters in less than 5 minutes.
The police attended the scene shortly afterwards but there was no forensic evidence to be found. The fraudsters were professionals and wore gloves throughout. It was of no comfort for my parents to be told that this kind of "distraction" burglary was not uncommon and that the elderly were often the targets. It was even less comforting for my parents to know that the prospect of catching the perpetrators was small and the prospect of recovering their money and jewellery was even smaller.
The incident has left my parents shaken, scared and feeling vulnerable. They have become untrusting; they do not trust themselves anymore because how could they have been so gullible. But above all, they have become untrusting of others and they now fear nothing more than then next knock on the door.
Organizer
Peter Cheng
Organizer
