Fife pair accused of defrauding older people with scams

Two men are to stand trial accused of defrauding elderly householders out of almost £15,000 in an alleged “bogus workman” scam.

Arron Jones, 23, of Ivanhoe Drive, Glenrothes, and Robert Mitchell, 26, of Dick Crescent, Burntisland, deny targeting people aged between 63 and 87 at addresses in Fife over a two-month period.

A woman, 76, was allegedly conned out of £4,200 at an address in Ceres, while an 81-year-old and a 63-year-old were allegedly conned into handing over £380 and £500, respectively, in Leslie.

The pair are also alleged to have defrauded a woman aged 86 out of £8,000 in Cupar between June 19 and July 4 2014, and an 87-year-old out of £1,500 in St Andrews between the same dates.