Doorstep Criminals Active in Kent

Kent residents are being targeted by numerous cold callers, offering work in their homes. Beware of the following scams below:

What happened?

A cold caller knocked on a residents door in Kent.
They offered to clean the gutters for £180.
Once the work was finished, the cold callers said the ridge tiles were loose and needed to be repaired.
After the repair work was completed, the price changed to £1,400.

What happened?

A resident in Longfield was targeted by a cold caller, claiming they made an enquiry about solar panels.
The fraudster wanted them to sign a contract to start the work.
However the resident never heard of the company and never enquired about solar panels.

What to do?
Watch out❗ Never respond to cold callers knocking on your door.

If you need work done in your home or garden, find safe traders on Trading Standards Checked or call Ask a Kent Librarian on 03000 41 64 38 (9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays).

Report cold callers to Kent Police on 101 or call 999 if they are aggressive or refuse to leave.

For free advice, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Make sure you tell friends and relatives. Not everyone is aware of how cold callers can target us.

DOORSTEP CRIME IS FINANCIAL ABUSE

Help us prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims of doorstep crime and financial abuse. Watch the video and learn to spot the signs of doorstep crime and financial abuse. Please help to protect your family members, neighbours and friends.

We know doorstep criminals tell us our roof tiles are loose, our chimney stacks are dangerous, our trees are diseased and our driveways need jet washing.

Help keep your community safe. Report doorstep criminals as soon as you see them or tell your local Community Warden or Police Officer.

Even if you’re not sure if they are a criminal tell us anyway, we want to know.

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You can view our Privacy Notice at any time. It explains what personal data we hold about you, how we collect the data and how we may use and share information about you. We are required to give this information under the data protection law.

For advice and to report issues to KCC Trading Standards contact
Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133