AN ELDERLY man has been cruelly defrauded of more than £1000 following an elaborate scam in Slough.

The victim, in his eighties, had been taking his regular morning stroll around Salt Hill Park in Slough at about 11am on December 3 last year when he was approached by two men.

The men told the victim he had won £5 million in the lottery and that they would share the winnings three ways.

Fortunately for the criminals, the unsuspecting pensioner was unaware of how the lottery worked and agreed to go with the men to the bank to withdraw £1,500 as a guarantee that he would share the fictitious fortune.

They travelled in a five door silver car, with the men working hard to convince the elderly man of their legitimacy.

The men presented the victim with what he believed to be a piece of Asian gold jewellery as their guarantee.

They drove to a NatWest bank on on Buckingham Avenue, Slough, where the man withdrew his £1,500 guarantee and handed it over along with a gold bangle and they were stashed in the glove compartment.

The key element of the scam kicked in to action as they were on the way to Cippenham to collect the 'lottery winnings', with one of the men claiming to be suffering sudden chest pains and needing medicine immediately.

They pulled over at a parade of shops in Stoney Meade, Cippenham, and asked the elderly man to get out and go to the pharmacy.

The victim obliged, only to turn and see the silver car speeding off with his money and jewellery still inside.

This is the fifth fraud involving trickery in Slough in the space of a year.

Investigating officer PC White of Slough Police Station said: “There have been five similar offences in Slough over the past year where older people from the community have been conned out of tens thousands of pounds. There have been similarities where people have been approached by two men claiming to have winning lottery tickets but needing help to cash them.

“We would urge people to be aware of this fraud and particularly family with elderly relatives to make them aware. If something sounds too good to be true – then it probably is exactly that – untrue."

Thames Valley Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to help with their investigation.

If you have any information about this incident or similar incidents or if you recognise the man in the picture contact PC White via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101 or charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.