Bogus charity bike rider prompts caller warning

A BOGUS caller claimed he was a student doing a charity bike ride before stealing money from a home.

The man, who said he attended Telford College, turned up at the property in Manse Road, Corstorphine, and told the resident that he was raising money for the “national trust”.

After he left the house, it was discovered he had stolen a two-figure sum of cash in addition to sponsorship money that was given. The incident took place on Wednesday, September 19.

The suspect is described as being white, aged between 20 and 25, and 5ft 9-10ins tall, with a slim build and short dark hair. He spoke with a local accent, was left-handed, and wore a dark-coloured round neck top.

A police spokesman said: “Inquiries have revealed the information he gave was not true, so we are urging people to be vigilant and not let any unexpected callers into your house.

“Furthermore, we would encourage people to always try to verify the identity of doorstep callers – anyone genuine will not mind being asked to provide more details.”