Over recent weeks, there have been a number of reports of trades-people
going door to door offering work, such as building services, landscaping,
handyman work and roofing.
Generally, the callers will notice small jobs which they will mention straight away before offering to do the work, which may be something simple such as a little bit of roof-line/eaves ‘pointing’ that needs a little repair, possibly at a perfectly reasonable price!
However, when doing the work, they notice more expensive, complicated jobs, and tell folks that they need urgent repair with worrying consequences if not addressed right away. Once agreeing on a price (which will be a lot, but again may seem reasonable due to the scale of the job), they will take the money, and leave without doing any work at all, sometimes leaving the victim having stolen several hundred pounds or more!
This sort of crime is more often than not, targeted upon the vulnerable, elderly, or those who may not be able to tackle DIY, or go to check things for themselves.
Please remember; only have work done by people you can trust fully, and you know to be reputable and that you have arranged knowingly. These people may even create business cards which show the names of other established businesses to try to deceive and give the impression of legitimacy, so please be especially weary; a landline phone number printed on a leaflet as an ‘office number’, does not mean that it is a genuine business.
Remember, a legitimate business would not ask for cash on a doorstep, would be happy to provide official ID, or to come back at a suitable time at your convenience. If workers are only in an area for a short time, there is likely a very good reason for it!
So again, please be weary, and do speak to any friends, family and neighbours about rogue door to door trades-people like this!
It is such a horrible crime to be a victim of having trusted someone face to face who seemed really friendly, and then they disappear without trace.
If a trader points out work that appears to really need to be completed, get other opinions and quotes to double check! Sometimes things can be cracked or crooked, but be absolutely structurally sound!
If you see this kind of activity going on, and you are suspicious or even a little uncertain, please report it via 101. Do not challenge them, just politely decline, then make the call to us to make a log.
Thank you for reading this; and please do share this with anybody whom you know that may be susceptible to this type of scam!