Three burly men barged into an 87-year-old woman’s home and tried to force her to pay them £2,000 to “fix” her roof.
The trio tried to trick Muriel Neill into parting with the cash by claiming rotting wood needed replaced.
They took turns to target her – one saying a copper strip was out of place and he would repair it for free, another conning his way inside by asking to use the toilet, and a third carrying out an uninvited “inspection” of the roof.
But Mrs Neill stood her ground and the three rogue traders left her Inverness home empty-handed.
But after hearing that someone else had been conned out of £6,000, she decided to speak out to help launch a police crackdown on doorstep criminals
The brave pensioner said: “All of a sudden I found myself with three people, all a lot bigger than me, in my kitchen and I hadn’t invited any of them in.
“I got quite angry with them. I said ‘there can’t be a hole in my roof’ because I had recently had work done by a local man from Ardersier who I trusted.
“I was absolutely horrified by the whole experience.
“The reason I decided to speak out is because I thought about other people in the same situation.
“I was frightened, but didn’t lose anything out of it. There are lots of older people, and even younger people, who wouldn’t be confident if that happened to them.
“There’s no point sitting back and saying somebody should do something. I decided to take the initiative.”
Superintendent Mark Mackay, who is leading the newly-launched Operation Monarda, which is aimed at keeping people safe from doorstep crime, said he was “full of admiration” for Mrs Neill.
He added: “She has a very poignant message which drills right to the point of what we are doing here.
“Older people are seen as an easy target by rogue traders, although they are certainly not the only groups who can be identified.
“It’s still an under-reported crime and people like Mrs Neill coming forward with their experiences will help raise awareness.”
During the next two weeks, police will hold online information forums and drop-in sessions to promote the campaign.
They will also highlight the “nominated neighbour” scheme, which involves a vulnerable person keeping a specially printed card near the door bearing the name of someone living nearby who must be contacted before it is opened to a stranger.
Officers and trading standards officials will also carry out a stop and search operation on commercial vehicles.