There have been reports this week that elderly residents in York are being targeted by bogus tradesmen. This is a huge concern and we would like to give you some advice to ensure that you are not tricked by these men into passing any personal details over.
The report said that these ‘dodgy’ tradesmen have been knocking on the doors of the elderly and are trying to claim money for roof repairs. One incident even saw a man force his way into an 86-year-old woman’s home to tell her that she needed £250 worth of repairs and that she could claim the money back from her landlord.
The woman refused and it is said that the man promised that he would return on another day. Another incident in York saw the ‘bogus tradesmen’ follow a woman in her 80’s into her bedroom to try and ensure she passed over the money he was asking for.
Here are some tips to ensure that you are not caught out or threatened by these men in York.
Check who is at the door
If you hear a knock at the door then it is always best to try and check who is there before you open your door. If your door has a peep-hole device then be sure to look through it beforehand – this is a great safety feature of most modern doors as it allows you to see who is waiting on the other side.
If you do not have a peep-hole then you could look out of one of your windows to see who it is. If the person looks intimidating or is somebody that you don’t recognise then the best option would be to ignore them.
If either of these options are not available then use your door chain to open the door. This way the person at the door cannot see into your home and cannot force his way in. If you are not happy or feel unsafe then close the door.
Of course if you are not expecting any visitors then ignore the knock at the door all together. That is the easiest way of ensuring you don’t have any issues.
Don’t get Confused
If you have decided to open the door you must try and ensure that you don’t let the person on the other side confuse you with any jargon or persuasion that you need some form of work doing to your house. A genuine tradesman would not knock on your door to tell you that you need work doing.
If you feel like repairs are needed on your home then ask your family members for help and they can arrange for a respectable and qualified person to come and fix it for you. Your children or grandchildren can also arrange and solve the financial side of the work.
You can always ask the man at the door questions to try and throw him off his game. Ask to see paperwork or certificates that confirm he is who he is and that he is a highly qualified and popular man of the trade.
As soon as you feel like the person is trying to scam you out of money then the best thing to do is to close the door and lock it. It is highly likely that the person will leave and move on to ensure that he is caught-out.
Call for help
If the person continues to knock on your door, or keeps returning to try and get you to answer, then you should call for help. Contact your family members to let them know what is going on. They will be concerned about your safety so will act accordingly – either by coming to stay with you or by contacting the local police force.
The elderly should not feel intimidated in their own home, so please go to your family or close friends for help. Just like us here at Careline, they would hate to think of you suffering inside your own home.
If you cannot get through to any of your family members then the best thing to do would be to call the Police on 101. If you have opened the door and feel threatened, like the examples from the reports must have done, then called 999 immediately.
The Police can help catch these criminals and prevent them from stealing money or harming any other elderly people in York.
The report also gave a Crimestoppers reference number for this case – NYP-09032016-0137 – and people wanting to report such a case can contact them on 0800 555 111.
*The full news report can be found on the Minster FM website. North Yorkshire Police are urging residents to contact them if they are targeted by the tradesman, either through 101 or 999 if they feel threatened in any way.
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