POLICE are looking for a man claiming to be a detective, who tricked his way into an old man’s home.

At around 3pm on Monday afternoon a man knocked on a door in St Dunstans Road, Margate, claiming he was a detective investigating the circulation of forged bank notes and wanted to see any notes that the occupier had.

He was shown a number of bank notes and then left, stating he would return later. The pensioner does not believe that any of the notes were taken or swapped for forged notes by the caller, who never returned to the house.

The occupier has been praised by officers for asking for identification, but was not shown any. The caller misled the man into thinking he had put a card through the door earlier.

Police are liaising with colleagues in Whitstable after a similar incident there a few hours earlier. In that case an 86-year-old woman let the man in and showed him some money, but again, nothing appears to have been stolen. The descriptions vary slightly but police believe it was the same person.

He is described as white 6ft tall, 28-30 years old, with dark hair and clean-shaven with a local accent. He was smartly dressed in a light coloured suit.

A Thanet Police spokesman said: “We would re-iterate the advice given last month when dealing with callers to your door: Always ask to see identification, genuine trades people generally carry photo I.D.

“If you are not happy with what you are being told by a caller, contact the company and verify their details. If you are still in doubt, keep them out and notify the police of your concerns.”