The Auchenback 82-year-old was sitting at home when three men knocked her door and offered to clear her gutters.

After coming down from the roof, the man presented a piece of rotten wood, claiming that he had found it falling off her roof, and told her the roof was in need of immediate repairs.

And when she asked how much the work would cost, she was told it would be an eye-watering £1,500 for the repair.

But the pensioner remembered the advice of trading standards in the area, and told the man she had a company which dealt with her roofing repairs.

However, Police Srgt Jim Boyle revealed that that was not the end of the ordeal.

He told The News: “After the woman turned the men away that should have been the end of it.

“However they returned a few days later and claimed to be from the company which she mentioned usually does her work.

“But the woman kept her wits about her and phoned the company in question — and they confirmed that they had no workers in the area and they were not aware of any call to her address.” After this, she decided to phone the police, but the would-be crooks were long gone.

The next day a worker from the real company came out to inspect her roof, and informed her that it was in tip-top condition and nothing was wrong with it.

And to add insult to injury, her gutters hadn’t been cleaned.

Now officers are using the incident to warn residents that the callous criminals are operating in the area, and they are capable of swindling elderly and vulnerable people out of thousands of pounds a year.

Srgt Boyle said: “Always check the ID of people who come to your door.

“The best case scenario is to not accept cold callers at all, you have every right to turn them away from your door.

“If you are ever in doubt over the authenticity of a workman or someone who comes to your door, do not be afraid to ask for I.D, or contact the company they claim they work for.

“Additionally you can also contact the police on 101, or 999 if you believe it is an emergency.”