ELDERLY residents have been warned to be on their guard after a bogus social worker tried to get into the house of a blind and profoundly deaf woman who is in her 90s.

North Yorkshire County Council staff say they are very concerned that a con man chose to pick on such a vulnerable resident.

The woman's daughter was in the house at the time and did not open the door to the caller, who claimed to be a volunteer social worker for the blind.

Tony Webster, of the county council, stressed that the man was not connected with the council.

"We don't have any volunteers and we do not cold call in this way," he said.

"Obviously someone was trying to gain entry by false pretences - who knows what might have happened had this person got in."

Mr Webster said the man, who called himself Mike, asked for the elderly lady by name during the incident, which happened on Sunday night in the Scarborough area.

"Police have been informed and so have local societies and groups working with elderly and vulnerable residents," he said.

"You don't know what might have happened to someone in this lady's circumstances, that's why we are putting this warning out to everyone in our area."

Police advise residents to always ask for official identification from callers.

They should never let a person at the door into their home if they feel uneasy, but ask for the caller to return at another time, giving the resident a chance to check if the caller is genuine.

Updated: 10:19 Friday, November 22, 2002