Doorstep Crime

Advice from the Police about Doorstep Crime. What it is and how to avoid it.

What is doorstep crime? -

This is where some comes knocking on people’s doors offering services or goods and either fail to deliver or of extremely poor quality.
Often at times you won’t get your money’s worth or be charged extra for work not asked for or agreed too.
Sometimes genuine employees of a business can still act illegally by selling genuine products.
Sometimes scammer will come to your area to complete surveys to gain personal details or sell things such as roofing or patio replacement.

How do I prevent it? –

Always check the identity of the person at the door
You can check their ID by calling the company, but always independently find they company number. Never use a number provided by the person at your door.
Make sure your house is secure prior to answering your front door to prevent people from entering whilst you are at the front door.
A preventative measure is to have a spy hole and stout door chain fitted.
If someone is from a utilities company, ask for your customer reference number.
If you are unhappy with them being there either shut the door or don’t open it.

Rogue Traders? –

Rogue traders are scammers that come to people’s houses offering services such as paving, guttering, gardening, etc
Often, they come across and friendly individuals with deals to help people out.
Rogue traders will not really fix the problem if there is one in the first place. They often leave the problem worse than when they started causing a bigger expense to fix the issue.
Rogue traders will normally start with a small job then make excuses and fabricate problems stating it need more work causing the victim to part with more cash.

Distraction Burglary? –

Often working in groups of two or more, one person distractions the victim whilst, their partner sneaks into the house to look for items to steal.
Often pose as officials such as market researchers, council, carers, gas, water, electric, etc
Often use tactics like feigning an emergency and using panic to get cooperation.
They are often convincing, charming and persuasive and can be any age or gender. Often looking the part and even carrying fake ID.

Who can I report it too? –