Kingsbridge Police officers received reports of two suspicious men trying to obtain money from four separate businesses in the town on Friday.

Sgt Dave Green explained: “‘Ringing the Changes’ is the term given to the practice of criminals going into shops and asking to change large amounts of cash, often from one denomination to another. Then after several changes of mind they try to walk out of the shop with the money given in change together with their original cash, effectively stealing from the business.

“This will often be achieved by choosing businesses with few staff, or that look busy with customers, and the criminals usually operate in pairs with one deploying distraction tactics to further confuse the member of staff.

“The pair operating in Kingsbridge last week were described as being in their 20’s or early 30’s, white with dark hair, large build and possibly Eastern European accents. One had a black jumper and navy body warmer with badges on it, and the other a white and blue chequered shirt. Both had black baseball caps.

“The best way to protect your business from this type of crime is to simply decline such requests for change. If someone wants to change large amounts of cash, they can be directed to the nearest bank, where the staff are trained to handle cash, and the customers are all on CCTV.

“In Kingsbridge on Friday, three of the businesses did just that, and the criminals left empty handed.”