“I had just gone in to get my shopping when two women came up to me,” she said.

“One began to speak to me in a foreign accent. I assumed there was something in the shop that she couldn’t understand so I was trying to help her out.

“It was only when I got to the checkout I realised my purse was missing.

“I didn’t know what to do because nothing like this has ever happened to me before.

“Luckily, it wasn’t my last £300, but for all they knew, it could have been.

“I’ll definitely be a lot more wary when I’m shopping in future.”

Despite her ordeal, Mrs Tennant praised the actions of the “very helpful” supermarket workers who helped her swiftly cancel all of her bank cards and gave her a £20 cashcard to allow her to pay for her shopping.

“They have also told me that if I’m scared to come into the store in future someone can meet me at the door,” she added.

Manager of the Tesco Monifieth store, Ashley Van Hoevan, today added her voice to Mrs Tennant’s praise of her staff.

She said, “Obviously we are upset this happened, but we tried to ensure the customer was supported and well looked after until the police arrived.

“It was particularly upsetting because the customer was elderly.”

Ms Van Hoevan attributed the staff members’ swift action to their training saying, “This seems to have been a one-off incident, but all the staff are trained to look out for suspicious characters and we will be extra vigilant from now on.”

A spokesperson from Tayside Police confirmed they are looking for two women in connection with theft, which took place at around 11.45am last Saturday.

Both are believed to speak with eastern European accents. One is around 5ft 2in, with shoulder length dark brown hair. She was wearing a dark ski jacket with light flashes.

The other is around 5ft 6in with long dark hair. She was also wearing a dark jacket and is believed to have been carrying a black holdall.

Anyone with any information should contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222.