Internet & Door Step Scammers
03 May 2023
Internet & Door Step Scammers
A Current Scourge of Life in the 2020s
Able Community Care is often asked to give presentations to older peoples groups. In the last couple of years, the presentation which has been most requested is around older people, in particular, being scammed or handing over money to fraudulent tradesmen on their doorstep.
Below is some of the information that we offer as part of our presentation.The point of any fraud, scam, con or swindle is designed to cheat people out of their money. Email, phone, letters or face-to-face.
Scams.
In the first six months of 2021, 36 million people were scammed
(Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk › press-releases › 36)Citizens Advice and other organisations have warnings to prevent scams, but the CAB, in particular, has an online tool which is easy to use and can enable a person to check whether something is a scam and to advise what to do, if sadly a person has been scammed.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk › consumer › check.
Doorstep Crimes.
The advice from the Police to stop doorstep criminals from defrauding you is that you must never agree for work on your house or garden to be done by someone who knocks at your door uninvited.
Never give money to or sign any forms for people who turn up on your doorstep.
Never open the door to strangers or allow uninvited callers into your home.
Since 2019 in an attempt to keep older people and people with a disability safer, we have given away 140,000 Do Not Knock door stickers to deter strangers from knocking on doors.
If you would like to receive one or more, please email info@ablecommunitycare.com telling us how many you would like and an address to send them to. (No addresses will be kept or passed on).
NB Cold calling is not illegal. However, any trader who ignores a sticker or notices on your door stating that you do not wish to receive cold calls may commit a criminal offence.
Also, any trader that ignores any requests by you to leave and not return is committing a criminal offence. (Gov.UK)