Buying on your doorstep can be convenient and many honest businesses use this technique to sell you goods or services in your home or on your doorstep – but so do fraudsters. Bogus tradesmen, door-to-door sales or doorstep fraud may involve promoting goods or services that are either faulty, overpriced, or substandard and items or services you never receive.

Rogue or bogus traders and door-to-door frauds and scams can take many forms, including:

•         Pressure selling – using clever tactics to pressurise you into buying something you don’t want or need, or something that’s poor value for money.

• Unfair contracts – contracts where the terms and conditions do not protect your consumer rights.

•         Overpriced or substandard home maintenance or improvements. In some cases, fraudsters may also bill you for work that you did not agree to.

Protect yourself:

•         Be wary of opening your door to strangers or letting them into your home. If you have a door chain, use it!

•         Ask to see some form of identification from the seller (ideally a photo ID). But beware that not all ID is genuine, even if it looks real. Make a note of the name, phone number and company. Genuine sellers won’t mind you doing this.

•         If you do let someone into your home, make sure you know where they are at all times. Be very wary of allowing more than one person in. If you are in any doubt, don’t let anyone in, but politely say you are busy at the moment, ask them for a card with a name and contact number on and say you’ll contact them to make an appointment in the future. If you intend to do this, make sure someone trusted is with you for that appointment.

• If you feel pressured, you should politely tell the salesperson that you are not interested and ask that they leave.

•         There are specific laws about door-to-door sales. Always ask about the ‘cooling-off’ period (where you can change your mind or request your money back), as all salespersons need to tell you about this.

•         Pay for any goods or services by credit or debit card, as this can give you some protection. Do not pay by cash for a discount or by bank transfer, as this payment method offers no protection, and you will not be able to get your money back. Do not pay for services in advance.

There are a variety of things they will tell you, many are designed to worry you, make you act in haste and often carry a threat of serious consequences if you don’t do what they say.

Not everyone feels confident to say “no” to some of these pressure selling techniques. Our advice would be to ask them for a contact name, email and phone number, say that you are busy at the moment, and you need to talk any decisions like this through with a family member or friend first. Say that you will make contact with them if you are interested. Thank them for their time and say that you need to get on with something to encourage them to leave.

If you want to get people to go, then say that you don’t have the authority to authorise any work being done, e.g. say it is always done by a family member or friend, or that the house is rented and the landlord deals with this – these kind of excuses sometimes get rid of unwanted callers. Mention that you usually check things out with a neighbour in the Police etc. Saying these things may give you the confidence to turn people away.

Genuine sellers / traders won’t mind being told you aren’t interested, but if the callers become agitated or are reluctant to leave or won’t give you contact details then you should be suspicious.

Keep a phone near you and use it if you are feeling nervous, contact a family member, neighbour or friend – or ring 101, or 999 in an emergency, to contact the Police.

Make a note of any vehicle registration numbers if you see them getting in or out of one, but don’t put yourself at risk.

You should be suspicious of any unsolicited communication, visits or offers of work “on the spot” or “while they are in the area” and question any such contact. Never act straight away – seek advice and make your own checks. Genuine callers from these organisations will always be prepared to allow you time to check their authenticity.

If you intend to have some work done, it is always recommended to obtain a number of quotes before going ahead with work on your home so you can compare the price and service offered. There are reputable trade organisations that we recommend as they carry out thorough background checks before allowing the person or firm to join as a member.

“Buy With Confidence” is Trading Standards and Office of Fair Trading approved, members must pass extensive background checks and are personally visited to assess their suitability for the scheme.

“Safe Local Trades” also carry out thorough checks before allowing anyone to join their scheme, including criminal record checks they are a member of the Cambridge and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership which includes local government departments, and the Police.

Buy With Confidence Tel: 08454 040506 www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk

Safe Local Trades Tel: 0800 014 1832 www.safelocaltrades.com

Always check the reviews of any company you may be considering to do work for you, or in your home – and also check that they are real reviews! Some bogus traders create false reviews of “excellent work” to con people into using them. Don’t rely on social media reviews! Check that companies haven’t gone into liquidation or are bankrupt or ceased trading etc. Most of this can be done online via sites such as Companies House – if you don’t know how to check these things – seek advice to help you. It is better to take your time and thoroughly check these things out than to pay up front for either a bodge job, or to someone who is bankrupt and just after your money!

Remember your ABC … and D

A – Assume nothing

B – Believe no-one

C – CHECK everything

And, D – Discuss with a friend / family / expert

If you have been subject to this, always let your bank know that your account may have been compromised – they will take steps to help safeguard your account. If you have lost money through this – again always report to your bank (as well as Police / Action Fraud) as sometimes they are able to recall payments or reimburse you for fraudulent losses. They may also be able to deal with or close down fraudulent accounts.

If you are ever in doubt we would encourage you to report any suspicious activity via 101 for a non-emergency or online via our website Home | Cambridgeshire Constabulary (cambs.police.uk) . Always call 999 in an emergency or if the suspect is still on scene.