Cold callers in Cliftonville

Cold callers in Cliftonville

Good morning,

Kent Police have received reports of cold callers operating in the Cliftonville area in recent days. As such, I wanted to raise awareness of how to spot cold callers and how to report any concerns.

Door-to-door frauds can take many forms, including:

pressure selling

unfair contracts

overpriced or substandard home maintenance or improvements

phoney consumer surveys

bogus charity collections

Common types of cold calls include:

Your roof or guttering is damaged.

Trees on your property are unsafe and need attention.

Your roof has moss on it, which needs cleaning.

Your driveway needs cleaning or maintenance.

Ways to protect yourself from bogus tradespersons include:

Always ask for identification before letting anyone you don't know into your home.

If you have a video doorbell, speak to the caller through this rather than opening the door. This will assist in capturing their image, and any identification cards, on camera in the event of any issues later on.

Check credentials, including a permanent business address and a landline contact number. The mobile phone number given on business cards are often pay-as-you-go numbers which are often difficult to trace.

Take control of the conversation and ask relevant questions, such as references from previous customers, or asking to see examples of their previous work.

Do not sign on the spot - shop around and obtain quotes from several vendors. Get at least three written quotes to make sure the quotes are reasonable.

If in doubt, ask the person to leave, or contact Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133.

Kent County Council runs a safe traders scheme for businesses working in the home improvement sector, named ‘Trading Standards Checked’. The scheme includes a robust check of the company or individual, ensuring that they comply with all relevant UK legislation and that they act responsibly, fairly and honestly. A link to the Kent Trader Check database is included below:

Trader Checks - Trading Standards Checked

https://tschecked.kent.gov.uk/trader-checks/trader-checks

Further advice can be found at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/cosumer/

Contacting Kent Police

Report non-urgent crime online at www.kent.police.uk/report

Talk to us on LiveChat - available 24/7 www.kent.police.uk/contact

In an emergency, if crime is in progress or life is in danger call 999

If deaf or speech impaired, text ‘police’ and your message to 60066

Kind regards,

PC 13602 Matt Albers

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Message Sent By
Matt Albers
(Kent Police, Police Constable, Thanet Neighbourhood Beat Officer)