POLICE in Helensburgh are to carry out spot checks in the area to make sure that garden or building work is being carried out legally.
The pledge comes after police received a number of reports of traders calling at people’s houses canvassing for work.
While some callers will be legitimate businesses, residents are being warned to look out for signs that visitors to properties could be doorstep scammers.
Some of the more common techniques used by unscrupulous traders hoping to scam residents include creating a website and glossy leaflets and using a temporary address in the local area to make their business seem credible and legitimate to unsuspecting consumers, using a name similar to a legitimate company which trades in the same area in order to gain trust, or changing their business name to avoid detection, but using the same sales techniques and being run by the same people.
Police say the most common types of work that doorstep scammers carry out are roofing, driveways and gardening, mainly during the summer months and often targeting rural areas.
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They may tell customers that urgent repairs are required, offer a special deal, say they have recently completed similar work in the area, or offer to start work immediately and not offer to provide the required paperwork.
Inspector Roddy MacNeill from Police Scotland in Helensburgh said: “Any work offered is a contract, and paperwork must be offered, which will include a cooling off period, should the consumer have a change of mind prior to work commencing.
“If in doubt, please call the police on 101. We will be carrying out local patrols to spot-check ongoing work to ensure that all required paperwork has been offered.”
Full details on common scam techniques to watch out for, and what to do to ensure you’re not taken in, are available on the Trading Standards Scotland website – tsscot.co.uk.
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