A DOOR-TO-DOOR fraudster who attempted to con residents out of money has been sentenced in court. Lee Turton, 40, of Underwood Avenue, Worsbrough attempted to fraudulently take money from residents in Worsbrough, Darfield, and the town centre last week. He claimed to need money for a taxi home, and told a resident with Alzheimer’s that he had completed work on their property which he required payment for.

None of the residents Turton contacted provided him with money and he was charged with four counts of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32.PC Will Oya, the investigating officer, said: "Turton's crimes are an example of doorstep fraud, where criminals turn up at your door and use various methods to try to trick you out of money."You can protect yourself from these by being suspicious of anybody who turns up at your door uninvited, keeping your door locked with the chain on, asking to see callers' ID cards if they claim to be from a company, and asking a relative or friend who lives close by to be on standby to pop over if somebody turns up on your doorstep and you're unsure of what to do. “Genuine callers will never have a problem if you say you'd like to take extra steps to verify who they are."If you think you have been caught out by a doorstep scam, report it to the specialist fraud advisers at Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting actionfraud.police.uk.