Police are hunting a gang of conmen who swindled thousands of pounds from a frail 90-year-old man after wrecking his home by posing as builders.
Ronald Veeson’s house was broken into through the roof by the crooks who told him they were fixing his guttering.
Another member of the gang then forced the grandfather-of-three into a car and drove him round the block while his accomplices ransacked his two-bedroom home.
He was left more than £5,000 out of pocket after the elaborate con which took place in broad-daylight on December 1.
Mr Veeson, who lives on his own in his house in Nottingham, has now issued a warning to others about the gang’s tactics.
He said: “There was a knock on my door and a man in white overalls offered to clean the guttering for a fiver.
“I accepted the offer and went back inside when all of a sudden there was a terrible racket.
“The man had walked to the back of the house with two others and started destroying my kitchen extension roof.
“The first man looked quite presentable but not the others.
“They pulled all the guttering down and proceeded to destroy the roof, pulling down slates, the guttering, rain water pipes – it all came crashing down.
“One of them asked me for £4,800 to put things right.
“I gave the group of four men a considerable amount of money and offered to give them a cheque to cover the rest.
“I was quite scared, it went on for about half an hour.
“They demanded money for a skip and scaffolding and needed me to go out and sign for it.
“I knew it was a scam by then but I had to go along with it because I was worried they would smash my windows.”
The retired joiner, who has lived in his home since 1958, was persuaded to get into another man’s car to sign a cheque and was driven around before being dropped at the top of his street.
The father-of-five, who suffers from arthritis, added: “I opened the back door and noticed the destruction.
“They had started to smash through the back door and made their way through kitchen roof and ransacked my home whilst I was away.
“All the drawers upstairs had been pulled out and emptied.
“They’d taken a few old cheque books and some tools but there was nothing of value to them in the house, no money except for a few coppers.
“When another builder came back to cover the roof with plywood he nearly had a heart attack when he saw the damage.
“I’ve got to keep my spirits up with my age and my condition, but I’m not looking for sympathy.
“There’s no point in sitting back and letting it get to you. I’ve got to get all this work sorted.”
The scam comes weeks after a spate of similar house raids in the same area.
Nottinghamshire Police have alerted residents to the scam in the area and are looking for help to track the men down.