Frustrate the Burglars

Hertfordshire Trading Standards is urging consumers to give rogue traders, telephone scammers and foreign fraudsters a frosty reception.

These crooks step up their efforts to part people from their money during the festive season, prompting Hertfordshire Trading Standards to issue the following advice:

  • If you rely on a computer, watch out for calls from bogus IT Help Desks. A helpful person will explain that you have a virus on your PC and offer some virus protection software for a modest sum of £40. If you fall for this one, not only will you have given your bank details to crooks, but evidence suggests that the ‘software’ provided is malicious spyware which can lead to further problems with identity theft. Look at www.getsafeonline.org for more information.
  • Be on your guard against doorstep callers, the chances are that they need your money more than you need what they’ve got on offer. And remember that you have a seven-day cooling off period for all work over £35 agreed to in your own home and that you must legally be given paperwork informing you of this.
  • Be wary of doorstep competitions, where salespeople call door to door offering householders free raffle tickets to enter prize draws to win cars and other high priced items in return for supplying personal information. This information is often passed on to hard sell alarm companies or other commercial operations keen to part you from your money.
  • If you like to put some clothes out for charity at this time of year, be aware that many doorstep collectors do not work for genuine charities and simply sell the clothing on for a healthy profit. The safe way to help a chosen charity is to drop your clothing off at the local charity shop.
  • Watch out for doorstep callers offering to sell prepaid electricity meter top ups, sometimes at discounted rates. These are not genuine – only buy from official outlets. See www.top-upsafe.com for more information

To report scams to Herts Trading Standards, contact us via Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or email us at tradingstandards@hertscc.gov.uk

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  1. Mike Kerr
    Posted on October 11, 2011

    I am a Parish Councillor at Kings Langley, but any views expressed herein are my own.

    I contacted our members and the local police concerning the following:-

    There is a chap touring the area trying to sell people on the idea of having a “Low Level” aerial view photograph taken of their property.

    Primarily, this seems to me to be a gross and un-acceptable invasion of privacy, even if held to be carried out legitimately.

    However, I was recently advised by a colleague that there is a gang of rogues touring the country using this type of activity as an excuse or “Cover” to get aerial views of properties to provide detailed layouts of buildings, entry & exit routes, protective fences and walls, etc with a view to either using the data for illegal purposes or else selling the data on to other un-desirable organisations and groups.

    I think that the police and security authorities should be alerted as appropriate.

    This is particularly relevant at this time as there is talk of a serious threat to national security over the coming months as “London 2012″ approaches.

    Sincerely

    Mike Kerr