Trading Standards officers and Police Scotland have launched a Shut out Scammers campaign after a spate of attempted doorstep cons.
The campaign aims to crack down on rogue traders and companies attempting to exploit the cost of living crisis and trick consumers.
In addition to more traditional doorstep scams, where rogue traders offer to carry out home maintenance, roof repairs, gardening work or services such as gutter cleaning or pressure washing, fraudsters have adapted their methods to take advantage of consumers’ anxieties and uncertainties around the cost of living crisis.
In recent months, there has been an increase locally in scams related to roof and wall coatings, with cold callers telling consumers that having the coating applied will save them money on their energy bills. They say that a government subsidy is available and offer a discount if the consumer agrees to pay a deposit on the spot.
However, once a deposit has been paid, the rogue traders usually fail to return to complete the work or do a sub-standard job. In several cases, they have power-washed roofs before applying the coating, which has caused damage to the tiles.
The Shut out Scammers campaign will run throughout April. As part of the campaign, a scam awareness van will travel across Scotland between April and July, with police and trading standards officers providing advice on avoiding doorstep scams. Resources including no cold calling stickers and information leaflets will be available.
Councillor Maureen Chalmers, chairperson of Trading Standards Scotland, said: “It is more important than ever to protect consumers from scammers and rogue traders who are adapting their methods to changing circumstances.
“We urge consumers not to deal with cold callers and to seek local traders who have been vetted by Trading Standards and who have made a commitment to treat customers fairly via approved trader schemes. Do plenty of research into companies before agreeing to any work being undertaken, remembering that online adverts can be misleading and that reviews can be faked. It is advisable to check at least three different review sites and to get more than one quote for a piece of work.
“We are also asking people to look out for family members, friends and neighbours who may be vulnerable and to report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland.”
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