Rogue Traders

🚨 SCAM WARNING – Don't Trust That Rogue Trader 

Rogue traders are doorstep criminals that affect the lives of Devon 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:

✅ If you are seeking a tradesman to carry out home maintenance: We recommend you visit the Devon 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.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/business

📞 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 Devon 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:

👮 If you feel intimidated or threatened at anytime by rogue traders then you must call the police on 999 to report it.