BOGUS officials have conned vulnerable people in Westbury and Bradford on Avon.

Last Thursday, an 82-year-old woman from Haynes Road, Westbury, was conned out of £300 and a credit card after a man posing as a BT engineer asked to check her phone line.

He was allowed into her home despite having no identification, asked to see a phone point and was allowed to walk around the house alone.

After he left, the elderly woman discovered the credit card and cash were missing from her handbag.

The man is described as white, 5ft 6ins tall of medium build. He was unshaven and wore dark clothing.

Following the visit a man claiming he was from a bank rang the pensioner and asked for the pin number of her credit card, which she refused to give.

A police spokesman said: "A further call was made along the same lines shortly afterwards, but the same reply was given. The calls were made from a telephone kiosk in Semington near the Somerset Arms. A similar offence took place on the same day in Devizes."

On Saturday a bogus water board official called at an elderly woman's house in Lower Westwood, near Bradford on Avon. He left empty handed.

The man claimed he was checking for water leaks in the area. He was taken into the kitchen and bathroom but nothing was stolen.

A police spokesman said distraction burglaries were an ongoing problem in Wiltshire.

He said: "If anybody has any doubts or concerns about a caller they should contact their local police station.

"Our advice is that people should not invite any unexpected callers into their homes, keep the chain on and ask for identification. If there are still any concerns then the police will only be too happy to come out and check their id."