Officers were alerted to a vulnerable man who had gone to his bank to withdraw £12,000 in cash. This followed a previous withdrawal a few days earlier of £12,000 for what the man said was roof repairs. Bank staff became concerned and called the Trading Standards rapid response team who attended and discovered the man had been cold called on Tuesday 6 October by two men, both believed to have Irish accents and noticeable tans, who persuaded him that he needed £27,000 worth of property repairs. They were driving a white transit van and may have been using a trading name of Home Improvements or Home Maintenance.
Officers investigating this matter interviewed several neighbours and found a further victim who was elderly and had been pressured into having roof repairs by the same gang.
Head of Trading Standards Rob Vale is urging all residents to be extra vigilant: “We have had a string of cases recently where consumers are being aggressively targeted by organised criminals. This case is even more upsetting as the man is particularly vulnerable which would have been apparent to anyone talking to him and these people have taken advantage in the most despicable way. We will do all we can to find these individuals.”
Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Safety Cllr Kate Lymer added: “We have been promoting the ‘Adult Safeguarding is Everybody’s Business’ campaign for several months now and have seen an increase in referrals of this type of incident. We want to do everything we can to help protect more vulnerable residents so please report suspicious traders to the rapid response team on 07903 852 090.”
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