A man who targeted a house with a For Sale sign outside it, arranged a viewing through the agent and then stole a credit card belonging to the vendor’s son.

Shiv Mohindra, 34, duped the agents by posing as a smartly-dressed doctor looking to buy a property.

He has now been jailed for three years.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he had spotted the sign outside the £299,000 semi-detached home before booking a viewing.

During the viewing he asked to use the toilet before sneaking into the bedroom and stole a credit card and provisional driving licence.

Mohindra’s scam was uncovered after he tried to withdraw £400 from a bank, where staff spotted his signature did not match and that he could not give the correct security details.

It emerged that Mohindra had 134 offences on his record.

After the court case, the vendors said the incident had affected their confidence and they had cancelled plans to sell the house.

Mrs Sheila Eardley said: “If he’s been sent by the estate agent, you’ve got no reason to suspect they’re not who they say they are.”

Her husband David said he had been approached by Mohindra days before the viewing: “He told me he was interested in buying the house. I told him to book an appointment with the estate agent.”

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