Scams are increasing! There are many scams that we are constantly warned about. By our police; by our banks; by charities; by consumer sites and many more. They penetrate your personal life and catch you off guard. Some have the audacity to stand on your doorstep, ring your front doorbell and attempt to scam you face to face. Sadly, these latter types have been exploring locally in Broadwindsor and Drimpton. Particularly because of the “government grants [that] are available for energy saving”. Loft insulation, window conversions and other home improvements are frequently used in their approach. They will give you nothing. They want your money. That’s all they want.
Several villagers in Drimpton reported male callers at their door claiming to be from an energy saving company and giving a pitch claiming that they are about to start work in the village. Others reported a man wandering around in Drimpton and the Greenham area. Another villager commented: ” the young lad called on us…his opening gambit is one of the oldest and most standard in the door to door sales jargon: ” Hi ..how are you today? I’m not trying to sell you anything but my company is currently working in your local area……!” He continued, “….you need to be careful because retail law and comeback is completely different than retail and on line sales regulations….one of the principle points is that you must invite them into your home…as it were …across your door step…so invariably an appointment would be made and that’s when you’ll encounter the ‘hard sell’ team...”
In Broadwindsor, two young girls were observed knocking on doors in the Yarn Barton area. They may have been innocent of scamming behaviour but their behaviour raises questions under the Stay At Home order due to the current National Lockdown in place and social distancing restrictions.
Be it by telephone, text, email or on your doorstep – scammers use similar tactics:
- They try to gain trust by claiming to be from a well-known business or impersonating a known contact.
- They will suggest their own verification procedures, like going to websites they have created or calling numbers they provide to you.
- They know how to appeal to your emotions and press your buttons to get what they want.
- They create a sense of urgency to get you to make decisions without thinking.
If you are a victim, a business, a witness or reporting on behalf of a victim who has been subjected to any type of scam – please contact Action Fraud online HERE. Alternatively, you can talk to their Fraud and Cybercrime specialists by calling 0300 123 2040.
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