Roadside beggars target Shropshire motorists
Motorists in Shropshire are being warned about roadside beggars who wave down vehicles asking drivers for cash to buy petrol.
The warning follows an incident near Market Drayton yesterday when a motorist was flagged down by four men in a car who asked for money for fuel as they needed to get to Dorset.
Police believe the incident was an attempted scam. Several similar incidents have been reported in different parts of Shropshire in recent years and motorists are urged not to part with money and to notify police.
Yesterday's incident happened on the A53 between Red Bull in Market Drayton and Loggerheads. It's thought the people involved were Eastern European and driving a dark coloured Passat, possibly green.
After initially stopping a driver, they followed him to Morrison's petrol station where one of the men thrust a yellow metal chain and a yellow metal ring into his hand and then demanded payment.
They asked the driver to go to a cashpoint, but when he resisted, they drove off.
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: "This was almost certainly a scam and we urge drivers to be on their guard.
"There have been previous similar incidents usually in lay-bys or car parks where motorists have been flagged down and asked for cash for petrol or for jewellery, which turns out to be fake.
"Sometimes, these scammers will have a sad story about why they need the money in order to persuade people to part with their cash.
"If approached in this manner, we advise drivers not to give any money and to report the matter to the police by calling 101. We can then check if the person is genuine or not and assist them if they do have a valid problem."
