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I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Fraud (e.g. bogus callers, courier fraud, cyber crime), which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey. 🚨 SCAM WARNING – Don't Trust That Rogue Trader
Rogue traders are doorstep criminals that affect the lives of Cornwall residents all year round. In the last year alone they scammed homeowners for work that either wasn’t needed, was poorly done, or wasn’t carried out at all.
These fraudsters offer anything from gardening, driveway cleaning and roofing repairs. They often deliberately target the more vulnerable members of the community and attempt to extort money for little to no work.
Rogue traders will often cold call but they are also using legitimate websites such as check-a-trade or bark.com among others to then respond to homeowners requests for work to be carried out.
📝 Rogue Traders are unlikely to give written contracts, but if they do, it will not provide the required information about cancellation rights. By law, all traders who sign someone up to a contract at their home should be giving a 14-day cooling off period. This gives the homeowner time to change their mind and must be specified in writing.
🛑 Stop. Assess. Protect. It’s important to remember that if you engage rogue traders then you are highly likely to find that the rogue traders will:
• do a poor job
• charge over the odds for the work
• offer to drive homeowners to the bank to withdraw cash and then simply disappear
✅ If you are seeking a tradesman to carry out home maintenance: We recommend you visit the Cornwall Trading Standards website where you will find their ‘Buy With Confidence’ list of local businesses which have given their commitment to trading fairly. Please click the following link: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/business-trading-and-licences/trading-standards/buy-with-confidence-scheme
📞 Remember If you have evidence of a scam operating in your area, or you are worried about a doorstep trader we would like you to report it to Cornwall Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or via their website by clicking the following link: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
⚠️ Remember: Don’t confront them and when reporting to get as much information as you can, such as:
• vehicle description and registration number
• description of what the rogue trader looks like, age, height, build, hair colour, distinguishing features and clothing
• business name
• what they are selling or the work they are doing
• dates and times of the visit
• keep hold of any fliers / leaflets they may have given you
👮 If you feel intimidated or threatened at anytime by rogue traders then you must call the police on 999 to report it.
 People in the UK lost £1.2bn to fraud in 2022, the equivalent of £2,300 every minute, according to bank industry group UK Finance. It said around three million scams took place, with frauds involving payment cards being the most common. Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person. Cybercrime is any criminal act dealing with computers and networks. To report an incident of cybercrime or fraud and for further information visit the Report Fraud website at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/. If you haven’t already listed Report Fraud as an Information Provider who can send you information and alerts, why not click on the settings button at the bottom of this email, log into your account and update your sharing settings. If you ever experience this issue or have information regarding an incident, please report it using our online reporting tools at https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. Get Involved Please consider getting involved and contribute to the local priority survey, we may be unaware of issues that you would like us to focus on. Take a few minutes to securely and privately register and have your say using the button below, this will mean we can focus on things that matter to you. 
Please click here to complete the survey
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