Consumer Alerts - August 2023
5th of August, 2023
Cold callers offering to clean roofs
Beware cold callers in the Preston area offering to clean the moss off your roof. One resident was met with pushy selling. On initially saying no, the cold callers offered to clean a sample area for free, again the resident declined but shortly after heard a noise on the roof and the traders had started work without permission. Luckily the householders realised and sent the traders on their way. You should never feel pressurised into having work carried out.
Trading Standards advice is to always say no to cold callers. The Safetrader scheme can help you find a trader in your area, contact 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk
Beware cold callers offering to buy jewellery
Households in the Ribble Valley have received a leaflet offering to buy valuable items, such as gold, silver and watches, with a follow up visit the next day. Do not make any hasty decisions, if you have items to sell, shop around. Beware of pushy selling and low valuations.
WhatsApp scam
A Lancashire resident received a message via WhatsApp from, she believed, her daughter, there was a problem and she needed £2,000 to be paid to a third party. Initially very worried the mother replied to the messages, understanding she was helping her daughter with an emergency and was given a time that day by which the money had to be paid. Luckily, she managed to contact her daughter independently and realised it was a scam. Once the deadline had passed the messages stopped.
If you receive an out of the ordinary message from a loved one or family member asking for money, whilst first instincts are to immediately help them, use caution, take time to think.
O2 phone scam
Beware of a scam where O2 customers are being targeted by scammers offering fake discounts on their phone bills to get access to the customers mobile phone account.
Initially O2 customers receive a call from a scammer pretending to be from the company. The scammer will run through a series of security questions, and you will receive a message on your phone stating a one-time password has been requested. This message is genuine but has been generated by the scammer who has been trying to log into your account online whilst maintaining a conversation with you.
Believing you are dealing with O2, you then provide the six-digit password that is generated to the scammer who is then able to access your account, from where they can change passwords, potentially take out extra contracts.
Contact the Trading Standards Service via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133
Further information about current scams can be found on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/StanleyDards