BUSINESSES in Cirencester have been visited by a man claiming to be from a deafness charity who has acted aggressively in order to secure donations.
The man is described as being black, in his mid 20s, 5ft 10 and was wearing a tank top and red shorts.
One shop reported that the man entered and pressured them into giving him £5 before he left.
Other incidents have been reported across the county in which phones were stolen by men who distracted staff by asking for donations.
A spokesman for the British Deaf Association said: “It’s definitely not us as the British Deaf Association does not send people door to door to collect money.”
Chief executive of the Gloucestershire Deaf Association Jenny Hopkins was outraged that somebody might try to use a charity to scam people out of money.
She said: “I can categorically say we are having no collections at all. This is nothing to do with our charity and I think that somebody is dishonestly using their deafness to try to get money.”
Jenny has asked that anyone who has been visited by this person gives a description to the police or confidentially to the charity as they may be aware of him
Anyone who has further information should contact the police on 101, quoting incident 273 of July 31
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here