If you bought your house in the 70s, live in the South East - watch out for doorstep scammers

Doorstep scams with bogus tradesmen now make up a fifth of all suspected consYou might expect a criminal turning up at your home to steal your money to be balaclava-clad and carrying a crowbar.

Doorstep scams with bogus tradesmen now make up a fifth of suspected cons reported to consumer charity Citizens Advice — the highest proportion since May 2019. Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in particular are being targeted, according to separate data obtained by Money Mail from Action Fraud.

Victims are being caught out by a spate of tall tales around home improvements. For example, Katherine Hart, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, warns that growing numbers of scammers are using the Government’s net-zero target to exploit their victims.‘So scammers take advantage by claiming there are government grants that allow them to retrofit people’s homes at a cut price.

‘The doorstep scammers who carried out these frauds are now targeting the same victims and claiming to be from new companies that can take the bad insulation out,’ she says. ‘We’re seeing a massive rise in this type of scam at the moment.’ ‘They look for problematic homes in terms of overgrown hedges and older properties where the guttering is bending slightly,’ he says. ‘They are in and out very quick.’

Kent Trading Standards tells of an elderly resident who was convinced to hand over their entire pension in exchange for poor roofing work. Others say they’re from an energy company and offer a roof coating to help reduce heating bills or that they’re a passing trader who has spotted urgent repair work is needed on a roof.

Money Mailplusmoney

United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Local Elections 2024: Results in the South East, South and Thames ValleyA summary of the 2024 local election results from Kent, Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Source: itvnews - 🏆 69. / 61 Read more »

Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2024: Results in the South East, South and Thames ValleyA summary of the 2024 PCC election results from Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, the Thames Valley, and Wiltshire.
Source: itvnews - 🏆 69. / 61 Read more »

If you bought your house in the 70s, live in the South East - watch out for doorstep scammersDoorstep scams now make up a fifth of suspected cons reported to consumer charity Citizens Advice - the highest proportion since May 2019.
Source: DailyMailUK - 🏆 7. / 90 Read more »

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: South East Stars go top of the tableSouth East Stars go top of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table after beating Sunrisers as Southern Vipers and Northern Diamonds also win.
Source: BBCNorthampton - 🏆 32. / 68 Read more »

Glasgow's famous hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus goes south and east for first timeThe new route will take tourists from George Square to locations such as the Tennent's Brewery, Barrowlands, Tramway, Pollock Park and Science Centre.
Source: Glasgow_Live - 🏆 4. / 97 Read more »

Map reveals when and where thunderstorms will hit the UK todayThere are yellow thunderstorm warnings across Wales and parts of south-west England, south-east England and East Anglia for the majority of Tuesday May 21.
Source: Metro Newspaper UK - 🏆 61. / 63 Read more »