Callous conmen duped a vulnerable 80-year-old pensioner out of £10,000 using a cruel lottery trick.

Police have launched a major enquiry and are appealing for the public’s help - describing the crime as a ‘shameless swindling’.

The 80-year-old man was approached by two other men on Moss Lane East, Moss Side , on Wednesday afternoon, between 1.15pm and 3.30pm.

One of the men told the pensioner that he had won £500,000 on the National Lottery and showed him what he said was a winning ticket.

The conmen said they didn’t have a bank account, before telling the victim that they would share the winnings if he gave them £10,000.

All three drove to the victim’s home, where he collected his passport and bank card, before they drove to the NatWest bank on Wilmslow Road, Didsbury , where he withdrew £5,000.

The pensioner was driven back to his home in Didsbury, where he collected another £5,000 in cash before returning to the men’s car.

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They then drove to Withington as one of the conmen claimed he needed to go to a chemist.

The victim was told by the men that he would have to go inside to collect a prescription because he was aged over 50. He went inside the chemist with a £5 note given to him by one of the men, alongside the lottery ticket for ‘security’, police said.

When he walked back outside to the car, the men and his cash were gone. Police said he later tried to cash the lottery ticket, only to be told it was a fake.

The man later reported the incident to police.

One man is described as Asian, well-built and aged in his 30s. The second man is also described as Asian. He was slim, aged around 50 and was wearing an old beige suit.

Det Con Lucia Barnes, of GMP’s City of Manchester team, said: “This was a shameless swindling of a vulnerable 80-year-old man.

“We would like to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time that saw these two men and may have information that could help us with our investigation.”

Call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.