An 87-year-old woman has spoken of her distress after she was allegedly targeted by “wicked” thieves in a distraction robbery in Orpington.

The elderly woman visited Orpington Post Office, in the High Street, on Thursday afternoon (November 26) to drop off a parcel before withdrawing £300 in cash.

She said as she was walking down the ramp outside to leave, a young girl stopped her, pushing a charity donation card into her face and signalling she was deaf.

The grandmother and mum-of-two, who does not want to be identified, told News Shopper: “I said no but she was very insistent and kept blocking me from moving down the ramp.

“Foolishly, I took out my purse and gave her £5 and filled in the fake form.

“Out of nowhere another woman, who appeared to be translating for the girl, pounced on me and grabbed both my arms. She gripped them, clamping them to my body.

“She stuck her head in front of my face and said, ‘Thank you, thank you.’

“The next moment, I thought, ‘Oh my god, my purse.’ I had no control over it, and they were gone.”

The elderly woman said she looked inside her purse and saw that the £300 was missing, before going back into the post office and asking staff to call the police.

Breaking down in tears, she said: “I feel so foolish because I am quite a strong person, I always donate to charity. I should never have taken my purse out but she was so persistent.

“I am too generous, this is the trouble.

“I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep.

“I think they are wicked people.”

A Met Police spokesman said: “We were called to the post office in Orpington High Street at approximately 2.50pm on November 26 to reports of a robbery.

“The victim, an 87-year-old woman, claimed she was approached by three women who said they were collecting for charity.

“The victim gave the trio some money from her purse.

“After being embraced by one of the suspects she realised once they had left her they had taken a quantity of money from her purse.”

The woman was not injured during the alleged robbery.

All three suspects are described as being aged in their mid-20s wearing head scarfs, police said.

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to call the Bromley police non-emergency line on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.