Six residents lose nearly £20k to scammers as warning issued

Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) is launching a new campaign with Police Scotland called ‘Shut out Scammers’ to raise awareness about the risks of accepting work offered by cold callers.

Figures from TSS show that between October last year and March this year, a total of £19,330 was lost by six households across Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

The average amount lost was £3,222.

The cost-of-living crisis is causing fraudsters to adapt their tactics, say experts, including making claims to be working on behalf of the government with fake subsidy offers.

Criminals often employ online and social media ads featuring misleading information and reviews.

The campaign comes after increasing reports of incomplete or unsatisfactory roofing, gardening, or driveway work.

TSS are stressing the importance of conducting thorough research into companies before agreeing to any work.

Householders should check at least three different review sites and obtain more than one quote for a piece of work.

In each case in Renfrewshire, rogue traders had cold-called the occupiers and offered to carry out work related to roofing, gardening, or driveways.

Cases also include a Glasgow couple who paid builders £20,000 to work on their roof, only for the firm to abandon the project after three days.

An 88-year-old man from East Renfrewshire also fell into trouble after he agreed to pay £7,500 for roof work, providing a £2,500 deposit by cheque. Concerned about the high price, his family advised him to cancel and reclaim the deposit.

When he contacted the company, they made a series of excuses and eventually stopped answering his calls.

Anyone caught out by a scam or suspicious activity should report it using the national advice service Advice Direct Scotland’s tool at www.consumeradvice.scot or contact 0808 164 6000 for support. Victims of fraud should report it to Police Scotland on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

TSS is also urging people to check in with their older relatives to ensure that that they are aware of these scams.

As part of the national campaign, a scam awareness van has been visiting different parts of Renfrewshire.

Police and trading standards officers were on hand to provide advice on avoiding doorstep scams, along with resources such as ‘no cold calling’ stickers and information leaflets.

Councillor Maureen Chalmers, chair of Trading Standards Scotland’s governance board, said: “Scammers are constantly adapting their tactics to take advantage of people, especially when many households in Renfrewshire are struggling to make ends meet with the cost-of-living crisis.

Cllr Maureen Chalmers (Image: Supplied)“So, it is more important than ever to remain vigilant and be on your guard. With our campaign and van, we aim to equip people with the tools and confidence to spot scams effectively.

“We urge consumers not to deal with cold callers and to seek local traders who have been vetted by Trading Standards and who have made a commitment to treat customers fairly via approved trader schemes.

“We are also asking people to look out for family members, friends, and neighbours and to report any suspicious behaviour to stop the scammers in their tracks.”