Two Taunton men were sentenced at Taunton Crown Court this week following theft from a pensioner over a four year period.

If you have an elderly or slightly scatter brained relative or friend, make sure they are making regular checks on their bank accounts, especially if they have savings they don't dip into very often; there are some very unscrupulous people out there.

Andrew Dyer (48) and his step-son, Simon Balance (22), both from Stathe near Taunton, admitted to stealing over £35,000 between 2005 and 2009 from a local pensioner.

Dyer received a 14 month custodial sentence and Balance received a six month sentence suspended for 12 months in addition to 180 hours community service, and three months evening home detention, which requires him to wear an electronic tag.

They stole over 200 blank cheques from the victim's cheque book over the four year period. Unfortunately the victim did not notice the thefts until he was notified by his bank that his account, used for savings and his pension, was empty.

 Hooray for the bank who did reimburse the the poor chap.

Dyer had befriended the victim and, in addition to stealing the cheques, also stole approximately £10,000 over a four year period by using his debit card details, without ever physically taking the card.

Major Crime Support Officer (MCSO) David Trotter from Avon and Somerset Police said: "This was a gross abuse of trust on the part of the offenders. They took advantage of the victim and unfortunately he never checked his bank statements or noted his cheques, which meant the offenders were able to continue to steal for a considerable period of time.

"I would encourage everyone to check your bank statements regularly. Many people these days don't receive a paper statement, so always carefully monitor your accounts on-line and report discrepancies to your bank. This is essential to combat fraud."

If you want further crime prevention advice you can either call 0845 456 7000 to speak to a member of your Neighbourhood Policing Team or log on to www.avonandsomerset.police.uk and select Crime Reduction tab.

Simple fraud prevention measures

The Police recommend that a great deal of fraud can be prevented if people take simple steps to protect themselves and remember some key points:

•Treat your cards or cheque books like cash – keep them safe and out of sight.

Make sure you report any lost or stolen cards immediately.

•Always check your bank and credit card statements carefully - report any unusual transactions to your bank or card issuer immediately.

•Store personal information securely and dispose of it carefully.

•Rip up or shred documents that contain personal, sensitive or financial information.

•Keep your PIN secret, don't write it down and keep it with your card, don't give it to anyone else and never let anyone else use your card and your PIN.