Police warning after Rotherham broken down car scam

The victim - a 37-year-old woman - pulled over to help a young man in distress next to what appeared to be broken down white Peugeot on Worksop Road on Monday (February 26) at around 1.05pm.

An older man and a woman, who claimed to be the younger man’s wife, were inside the car, said a South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman.

The younger man, who claimed to be from Dubai, asked the victim for cash to help the group travel to Edinburgh and offered to transfer the money online to pay her back, she added.

Det Con Janine Broughton said: “Feeling a certain amount of pressure and afraid to refuse, our victim was coerced into driving this younger man to the Morrison’s supermarket in Bramley, where she withdrew cash.

“The man also asked her for her bank account details, stating he would pay her back the next day. This money was not paid back and we believe this was potentially an attempt to extract bank information so further cash could be withdrawn at a later date.

“This is incredibly concerning behaviour with a very specific ruse and I’d urge anyone who may hold information about this man or may have been subject to a similar approach to get in touch with police.

“The car that was broken down was actually in working order and once the young man was inside our victim’s car, the older man drove that car behind her vehicle to the cashpoint. This must have only added to the woman’s fear.

“An investigation is ongoing to identify those involved in this incident but we want to remind the public never to give a stranger bank account information or personal details.

"Keep your information secure and private to prevent possible fraudulent access.”

Anyone with information is urged to call 101 quoting incident number 483 of February 26 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.