Cash stolen from ID theft victims

Credit cards were stolen from various conference venues

Large amounts of money have been stolen from four victims of identity theft whose credit cards and wallets were stolen from venues in Surrey.

They were among six people whose belongings were stolen from bags and jackets left unattended at conference venues in the Mole Valley area.

A 24-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man were among those conned into giving their PIN numbers to telephone callers.

Police said the cash was then withdrawn from the victims' accounts.

"No-one is immune to this type of opportunist theft," said Pc Mike Bessent.

"Your identity and personal information is extremely valuable to criminals - on no account should you reveal your PIN to anyone.

Officers are investigating similarities between the thefts, which happened between 14 April and 19 May, and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

The Mole Valley district includes Dorking, Ashtead and Leatherhead.