Hi this is Emma Wright, PCSO for the villages.
During April we will be running Operation Relentless alongside Rogue traders week.We have lots of different initiatives planned for this operation and will keep you updated of the work that has been done and any good results.
Trading Standards Service advise consumers not to buy goods or services from unexpected doorstep sellers or from people who cold call on the phone. It can be very hard to tell a good trader from a bad one on the doorstep and consumers may be better advised to keep their door's closed and their phones on the hook!
High pressure sales people. These traders, who sell a variety of goods and services including mobility aids, alarm systems and unregulated investments, use pressure selling tactics to rush you in to a decision. They may have no experience or training and could convince you to buy something that is over-priced and that you didn't really need or want.
Rogue traders. These people often work door to door or use flyers to approach householders. They generally offer maintenance work such as gardening, driveway repair and roofing and quote low prices which are later inflated. The work they carry out is of a very poor standard and they often use intimidation to 'encourage' home owners to accept offers of work and to pay up afterwards. Rogue traders use false names and addresses and are hard to trace.
Fraudsters. Often operating from outside the UK use the postal system, phone and Internet to scam consumers. They use a variety of methods to encourage consumers to send them money or reveal their personal or financial information. They may pretend to be a genuine business, claim you are owed a tax rebate or have won the lottery or offer to pay for your goods using forged cheques.
If you have been the victim of a high pressure seller or a rogue trader or require further advice, please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06. If you are a victim of a fraudster, or wish to report a scam, please contact Action Fraud or phone 0300 123 2040.
If you have information about any crime, phone the police on 101 or you can call anonymously to the independent charity CRIMESTOPPERS 0800 555 111.
For general information about Neighbourhood Watch nationally see the www.ourwatch.org.uk website.
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