A MAN posing as an official was arrested after he targeted a couple's home.
He knocked on the door of their home in Stockton Road, Middlesbrough, at 7.45pm on Saturday.
The man kept the stranger talking while his wife went to call their Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, who called the police.
The 23-year-old man fled when police arrived but was arrested and later charged with two counts of deception and one count of attempted deception.
Last year, The Northern Echo and trading standards launched its Doorstoppers campaign, with the backing of police, politicians, utility companies and organisations that look after the welfare of the elderly.
The aim is to raise awareness of the dangers of bogus callers and distraction burglaries.
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