Katie Moreton, Area Services Manager at The Big Issue Foundation, said: “We understand that an individual, who was recently arrested after an elderly woman was robbed as she used the cash point in Bloxwich High Street, was posing as a Big Issue vendor and is not an official seller.
Obviously, we do not condone this type of behaviour.
We have notified the Police and they are aware of the matter.
“While we promote our ethos and policy to genuine vendors, anyone posing as a vendor for criminal purposes should be reported to the Police.
“Our advice to the public would be to make sure you buy a Big Issue from someone who is showing a valid, in date badge, wearing a red Big Issue tabard and that is selling the current edition of the publication. It is also important to always take the magazine.
We would also encourage any member of the public who comes across this individual in the future to report it to the police as soon as they can.”