A CHARITY for elderly people has warned pensioners to take safety precautions in their homes following the abduction of a woman in her seventies.
Age Scotland, which claims there has been a surge in doorstep crime against the elderly, urged pensioners to install strong door chains and other safety devices in a bid to stop unwanted callers forcing their way into their homes.
They have also advised people to check the identification of unknown visitors.
The advice comes as police continue to appeal for information on the assault and abduction of an elderly woman in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, on Wednesday.
The suspect took the pensioner from her home and forced her into his car before driving to nearby Milngavie Shopping Centre.
He was scared off when police approached him and sped off, eventually dumping the pensioner in Clober Road, Milngavie, and the white Skoda he was driving in the town's Birrell Road.
A spokesman for Age Scotland said: "We are increasingly seeing this kind of thing happening.
"Older people are seen as an easy target because they can't fight back and they are a bit more susceptible to being talked into something.
"In all cases we advise that you have a strong door chain on your door and you have to use it.
"You have to make sure that nobody gets into your house unless you're 100% confident they are who they say they are and that you can trust them."
Councillor Duncan Cumming added that the local community has been left shaken by the pensioner's abduction.
He said: "I'm obviously very concerned for the lady and I know there has been great shock within the local community.
"This is obviously very alarming for everyone.
"We are a very tight knit community in Milngavie and Bearsden and I've spoken to lots of people who have been dreadfully shaken by this."
The suspect has been described as a white male in his 30s and he was seen wearing dark jeans and a white top with stripes on the arm.
Strathclyde Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 0141 532 4400.
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