Trading Standards Consumer Alerts - June 2025

Good morning residents. 

Please find detailed below (and attached for dissemination) this months Consumer Alerts from Trading Standards. They provide some really useful contact details and certainly gives you food for thought: taking that extra precaution and care. 

If you think a business has broken the law or acted unfairly, you can report them to Trading Standards.

Trading Standards use the information you give them to investigate unfair trading and illegal business activity, like rogue traders and scams.

Trading Standards can take businesses to court or stop them operating.

Buying goods or services from a cold caller can be risky as you may not be able to contact them if something goes wrong. Doorstep scammers remain a serious problem across our Wards. Many are affiliated to serious organised crime groups and usually overcharge for work that is either unnecessary and/or substandard. They tend to target vulnerable and elderly consumers.

If you feel you have been the victim of a scam or had a bogus caller at your door then please report it through. Alternatively please let us the local neighbourhood policing team know and we can do some follow up. 

Take care

PC Jenny, PCSO Jules 

Consumer Alerts – June 2025

Beware scam jet washing services

The Service has received reports of cold callers knocking on doors Over Wyre and in the Goosnargh area, offering to clean gutters, clean the moss off roofs and jet wash driveways.  In one incident the householder only agreed to their gutters being cleaned but the trader charged over £1000, in another case the trader, after an hour's work claimed to have finished and demanded over £2000. 

Such doorstep callers can often be very pushy offering to carry out an initial small amount of work but then escalating the job. If you think you have been scammed and have paid by bank transfer or by card, report the matter to your bank, depending on the circumstances, they may refund you.     

Use caution if you need urgent roof repairs.   

A spate of leaking roof issues has been received into the Service with the heavy rain we have recently experienced after the long dry spell.  Often the leaks need urgent attention leaving householders vulnerable to rogue traders. Be wary if using online trader platforms. Some platforms ask you to detail your specific job/ issue and the traders registered with the platform then contact you. 

Think twice if the trader is not local, contacts you immediately and is very pushy. In one incident the trader, allegedly based in the Midlands, was only with the householder for the afternoon, charged nearly £3000 and it is suspected did very little work. 

Always make sure you get a quote in writing upfront and have the name and address details of the trader. Best advice is to use known local trades people and get more than one quote. 

Trading Standards advice is to always say no to cold callers.  The Safetrader scheme can help you find a trader in your area, contact 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.  

Scam BT digital landline switchover call 

Phone scammers impersonating BT are exploiting upcoming changes to the landline phone network, conning customers into giving them their payment details. The cold calls, claiming to be from BT, ask the customer to confirm their personal and payment information so their landline can go digital before a deadline.  Some victims have received fake calls, asking for on-the-spot payments to move to the digital service, and were threatened with having their landline disconnected immediately when they refused. 

Be suspicious, the scammers may know your name and address and use this information to convince you to trust them.  Information about the switchover can be found at Moving landlines to digital technologies - GOV.UK

Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Contact the Trading Standards Service via the Citizens Advice consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133