Doorstep scams - local reports

On this page you will find information on just a few of the doorstep/cold calling scams reported to us by Kent residents. Look out for these and similar schemes in your area. If you have been the victim of any of these scams, or know of someone who has, or if you have specific information about bogus tradesmen or tarmaccers etc. you can contact the Consumer Direct Advice Team on 08454 04 05 06 to report the matter or to ask for advice. You can also report it online using our You can Help link. (Anonymously, if you wish).

View the Office of Fair Trading's warning video clip to see an example of how these criminals operate.

Find out what you can do to avoid being caught and what we are doing to tackle doorstep criminals on our doorstep scams page.

Visit our scam mailing page for more information about some of the phone, email and mail scams reported to us by Kent residents.

Remember, if something sounds to good to be true -
it probably is!

 

Alarm fitters

Burglar alarm systems - many older residents around the county have received phone calls from a security system company using very hard sell tactics and lies to get an appointment at the consumer's home.  They appear to target people who already have an alarm system, using scare tactics by suggesting increases in crime in their immediate locality.  They also tell consumers they will give them up to £1,500 worth of free equipment if an appointment is made.  Claims that their systems are connected to Kent police stations are also untrue.

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Bogus officials etc.

A man called at an elderly person's home in the Longfield area. He had ID for the Eleanor Hospice and tried to gain entry to the house, saying he would give more information if he could come in. He was very persistent but the resident refused to let him into the house and he eventually left.  It appears that he may have had an out of date ID from the hospice.

A resident in the Herne Bay area was telephoned by someone claiming to an official from the council and saying that they were entitled to a tax rebate. The caller asked for their date of birth to process the cash back but once this had been given they rang off. The resident’s credit card was then used fraudulently to purchase items on the internet.

Homes in the Canterbury area were cold called by a smartly dressed man claiming to be from a government department (possibly the Environment Agency) in Cambridge, claiming to be conducting inspections on housing. When allowed to inspect he condemns the house claiming the householder will have to move out whilst repairs are carried out. Coincidentally a “builder” then cold calls the house and asks if any work needs doing. The builder offers to do the work required by the smartly dressed man immediately so that the householder does not need to move out and asks for money upfront. The smartly dressed man suggests ways the household can get cash to pay the builder. The builder is believed to drive a plain white Nissan Vanette.

A woman was reported calling door to door in the Martin Mill area claiming to be doing a bank survey. She was believed to be on foot and described as heavily built and of unclean appearance with shoulder length dark hair. She was asking people for their personal banking details but had no identity card, just a letter with a phone number and a registration code.

People claiming to be from the "Water board" were reported in the Charing area. They gain access to homes and distract householders by asking them to turn on taps. After they have left, items or money is found to be missing. We recommend you check the identify of all callers. Contact Southern Water on 0800 820999 or Mid Kent Water on 01634 873033 to check on people claiming to be from water companies.

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Communications

People claiming to be working for a phone/internet provider cold-called homes in the Deal and Walmar area. Our information suggests they may be falsely claiming that another provider has gone out of business, and that the caller is taking over their business.. This is not the case, and anyone asked to sign documents should not do so.

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Doorstep callers -  carpets, furniture & household goods etc.

Doorstep callers approach householders with all sorts of offers and excuses to gain access to their homes. Below are a few examples of the type of caller to beware of.

A woman selling rugs from the back of a car ouside a petrol station in Gravesend persuaded an older couple to take her back to their house with a "buy one, get one free" offer. Once in their home they felt pressured into buying two rugs. The woman also persuaded the husband to drive her into the town to withdraw the money from the bank but refused to provide a receipt.

A man claiming to be newly released from prison called on a resident in the Tunbridge Wells area 7 times saying he had just come out of prison and handing the consumer a card. The man, a white male, aged around 34, was wearing white clothes and offered goods for sale. The resident thought they were expensive (for example, £9.99 for a pair of cotton gloves) but felt intimidated into making a purchase as the man said “he had just come of prison” and “he was not going to hurt him”.

Elderly residents in Herne Bay have been cold called and offered “leftover” carpet. The two traders have several swatches of carpet and offere to lay it. One was 5’7” tall of fat build, clean shaven with grey receding hair wearing jeans and a light top. The second man was 5’11” tall, stocky build, clean shaven with brown straight hair wearing a waterproof jacket and trainers. Both men have southern accents. They were driving a white transit type van.

Residents in the Thanet area have been approached by one or two men, offering furniture for sale. The men, aged around 40-45 and 18-20 were driving either a 55 plate White Mercedes Sprinter van or an 07 plate white Ford Transit van. They drove up to people in the street, or stopped to speak outside their homes and offered to sell sofas or three piece suites at low prices. The men claimed to be from, and wear the company clothing, of a well known furniture retailer. If you are approached with this sort of deal, reject the offer and if possible report it to Trading Standards via Consumer Direct or your local Police or Community Warden.

An elderly consumer in the Parkwood area of Maidstone was cheated out of £400 by two men in their 50's calling door to door, offering to carpet his flat. They drove the consumer to the bank and made him withdraw £400 in cash to pay them. As he handed over the money, they hastily took it, speeding off in the van, leaving the consumer with no way of getting home.

An elderly lady in the Broadstairs area was cold called by a man asking if she would like to purchase a carpet which the trader also offered to fit it for her. The lady explained she could not get to the bank and was offered a lift to the cash point, which she accepted. The consumer parted with over £800. The man carried the carpet into the bedroom and then left to contact his fitter who he said would return shortly. No one returned and the consumer later found her bag was missing.

A man driving a white transit van called at the home of an older person in the Canterbury are offering what he described as a Chinese rug for sale at £140. He managed to gain entry to the home, eventually selling the rug for more than twice the quoted price.

A resident in the Swanley area was cold called at home by two men driving a white unmarked van and offering carpet they said was "left over from a job at a local restaurant". The householder chose a colour from a swatch and was driven to the bank to collect the money. The traders delivered the carpet the next morning saying they would deliver the underlay and fit the carpet in the afternoon. The householder had already paid for the carpet, underlay and fitting but the traders did not return. The buyer also found the carpet was a much poorer quality than that in the swatch he had chosen from.

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Energy suppliers

A man in an electricity supply company uniform has been reported calling on residents in the Littlebourne area. He offers to explain their electricity tariffs to consumers, asking them to sign for receipt of the information. Be very wary of signing anything presented by a doorstep caller.

A resident in the Meopham area was cold called by a man who claimed to be from EDF Energy asking if she would like to save money by changing her energy provider. He completed some paperwork, asked to read the electricity meter and took some bank details. When the consumer questioned him about the savings he made an excuse about going to his car to make a phone call.  He never returned. EDF informed the resident they had no representatives calling door to door in the area that day.

Consumers in Deal reported representatives from a major gas supplier who were knocking on doors telling people they have to sign over from their current supplier "because everyone is". A consumer who signed realised it was a mistake but when the gas company were contacted to correct the situation they refused. If you are happy with your supplier there is no need to change. If you have any questions about the sale or supply or gas or electicity please contact Energywatch on 08459 060708.

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Finance

Residents in Canterbury have received calls claiming to be from a debt collection agency based in Oxford Street, London. The caller states that the resident’s bank has passed their phone number to them because they have debts. The caller’s company can offer advice in consolidation of debts. The resident stated that he has no debts and requested the name of his bank but the caller did not respond.

A consumer in Tenterden was approached by someone claiming to be from an American company asking if he wanted to sell his shares. The caller asked for money to do this and also details of his bank account so the money could be transferred. The consumer contacted his bank to ask their opinion. The bank believed that it was not correct protocol to contact a small share holder such as the consumer directly, and were concerned that the caller was asking for his bank account details prior to the contract being concluded.

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Home & garden maintenance/repairs etc.

Many cases of doorstep callers offering to do work around the home or garden are reported to us.  Below are just a few examples of the way they operate and how they can trick or pressure people into paying for either non-existant or poor quality work. 

Several cases have been reported in the Tunbridge wells area. In one case an elderly resident was cold called by two men claiming wooden fascia boards needed replacing. Having talked their way into the home, one kept talking whilst the other looked around, to ‘check the rear of the house’. This was clearly an attempted distraction burglary and only a lucky intervention stopped it. One male was described as around 6’2”, thick set, with dark hair and an English accent. The second, claiming to be from Cork, Ireland is described as about 5’8”, with black hair and a strong Irish accent.

In another case a caller called door to door offering gutter cleaning services. The initial price appears reasonable but costs often escalate and in one particular case a cheque for £200 was taken but no work was carried out.

A consumer from Folkestone had an unsolicited call from a man claiming he had worked for the company who had fitted the homeowners’ fascias but that he had noticed there were problems which he was offering to put right. The homeowner accepted this offer and paid the man £500 in cash. Later 2 men in their 20’s, one with tatoos on his arms, arrived unannounced and started to do the work without speaking to the homeowner. They then told the homeowner that they had noticed urgent work was needed to the roof joists. The homeowner refused to let them do any more work but was told that unless she paid for it they would not finish the work they had started.

A consumer in the Loose area of Maidstone was cold called and told that roof tiles were loose and further work, at a cost of £5,000, was needed. The consumer had been considering taking out a loan to cover this work but fortunately Trading Standards and the Police had been alerted and the consumer refused the work.

An older gentleman in the Margate area was cold called by a man. offering to replace guttering and fascias. He produced a leaflet claiming to be from a bona fide company and offering a fairly cheap price. However, when the work was done the workmen claimed extra work had been necessary, and the final bill was quoted at 4 times the original quote, taking it to almost £4,000.

A gang of workmen driving a flat bed truck called on a householder in the Herne Bay area saying they would do some work on his roof for a small price. The consumer did not really want to agree to anything but was forced into haggling for a price anyway.

The consumer said he could just about manage a modest price but said that he would have to check with his bank first, he asked the trader not to touch his property until he returned from the bank.

While the consumer was away the trader set up scaffolding at the front of the property and took off approximately 150 tiles.

When the consumer returned he spoke to the trader and reminded them that he did not want them to start until his return. The trader then demanded over £7,000 for the scaffolding and ordered tiles. The consumer said that he could not afford this. The trader said that in any case the consumer would have to pay him to go away!

A man driving a plan white van and wearing a fleece embossed with a company name visited a consumer in the Bredhurst area.  He had the name of the consumer’s husband and claimed that a generator had been ordered over the internet but only half the order had been paid and he would need the rest of the money in cash in so he could deliver it. The consumer contacted her husband who advised her that no such order had been made.  The man left when told he must have the wrong address.

A householder in the Meopham area paid £200 to a caller touting for tree cutting work. The man, driving an unmarked white transit van with a picture of a man with a chainsaw on each of the rear doors, started work but after only a few branches had been cut said the tree was diseased and it was best to leave it as it was.

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Medical

A caller claiming to be from a health care company cold called on a consumer in Ramsgate stating they were working with the NHS. The company offered to demonstrate and supply heat pads to alleviate aches and pains. The trader became agressive when the consumer did not take up the offer and put his foot in the door way preventing the consumer from closing the door. The trader is described as tall, between the ages of 50 and 60 wearing casual clothing and driving a large white car.

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Mobility equipment

Older and disabled consumers in the Gravesend area have received unsolicited phone calls implying that the company calling are part of a local authority mobility scheme offering mobility equipment, in this case an electric reclining chair.  A home visit following such a call results in a salesman spending hours in the consumers home trying to secure a sale. When challenged the salesman gives a phone number for a head office which is not recognised.

An older consumer in the Teynham area was visited and asked if she would answer a few questions to receive £5. This was followed up by an unsolicited call from a company selling mobility beds claiming she was entitled to £500 worth of vouchers. An appointment was made for a visit during which the consumer was given a presentation lasting 3 hours.

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Tarmac sellers/Driveways

We receive many many reports of traders across the county offering to tarmac drives. Below are just a few examples of the claims they make and the tactics they use.

A householder in the Herne Bay area was cold called by 2 men who said they were doing block paving work in the area and had some sealant left over so could do her drive for her. They agreed on a price of £7.00 a square metre (having started at £15.00 a square metre) and the area to be done. When they had finished working they drove the homeowner to a cash machine where she withdrew £300.00 which she paid them although they had originally wanted £492.00 to do the work.  It was not until she returned home that she realised the work had not been done as agreed and they had not taken away any of the rubbish.

The men were both around 5ft 9in. tall and wearing black trousers and white tops with dark glasses, appearing very casual. The older one was about 50 with an Irish accent and the younger about 20 with a local accent.

Two men in a white van were reported to be calling on householders in the Tonbridge area, giving an address of a consumer they are claiming to be laying a drive for.  When informed they have the wrong address they apologise and say that "while we are here, would you like your driveway done for £2400?"  The consumer is shown glossy leaflets and business cards but none of these are left with the consumer.  If the householder agrees the trader gets them to sign paperwork, but again does not leave any copies. The work is of a very poor standard with tarmac laid on top of an existing drive. This tarmac will not last more than a year, it can and usually does, usually break up during the summer.  

Doorstep callers driving a red van told a householder in the Langton Green area they had bitumen left over from a job and asked if he wanted it spread on his drive. No price was discussed and he was given the impression it was free and they just wanted to get rid of it. He went out and when he returned the men were digging up his drive. They told him it would cost £1400.

A man driving a white van was reported cold calling in the Dymnchurch area saying that 4 other colleagues were working at various properties in the area. One consumer who was asked if he wanted his driveway tarmacced initially refused, but the caller pressured him into agreeing. He was then told he would only be able to pay cash.

A consumer in the Stansted area was cold called by 2 men driving a white van who told him they could patch up his driveway free of charge.  He agreed and was then told he could have the whole driveway re-surfaced for £8 per square metre which he declined. However, the traders went ahead and did the work without his permission while he was out.

Gangs of tarmac sellers are targeting local churches, church halls and similar organisations. Their usual approach is to give a very reasonable quote before work begins and to increase the price as the work progresses. When the work is finished the gang members may behave aggressively to ensure payment is made. The quality of the workmanship is often very poor.