‘PRESSURED INTO GIVING MY SAVINGS TO ROGUE TRADERS’
DISABLED WOMAN TARGETED BY MEN IN GARDENING SCAM
A DISABLED woman in Hull has been left distraught after losing £700 to “rogue traders”.
Irene Lusby, 59, of Bilton Grange, was approached by two men on Monday, July 5, who offered to clear her back garden of brambles and rubbish for the sum.
She says she felt wary, but saw that the men were sporting branded sweatshirts and had a company name on their van nearby, so decided to trust them and handed over £400 upfront.
But, after they failed to complete the work agreed two days later, Ms Lusby says she has no way of tracing the men or getting her garden fixed and she was “pressured” into handing over the rest of the cash.
Ms Lusby had been saving her benefit money for years so that her back garden could be fixed and due to her degenerative spine disease and arthritis, she is unable to complete the work herself.
“I thought the men were genuine and touting for business to get back on their feet with all that has been going on [coronavirus pandemic] and I’ve been saving money for years to get the back garden sorted,” she said.
“But I feel so stupid and really upset about what has happened, I’m disabled and have depression and suffer with my mental health and now just don’t know where to turn now I’ve lost all my savings.
“On the third day [Wednesday] I knew something wasn’t right because they were pressuring me to pay them the rest of the money as they said they needed a van to come and clear the overrun brambles out of the garden that they had cut.
“I had already given them £400 and said that I would pay them the rest when the job was done, but they came into my house and made me count out the rest of the money [£300] in front of them.
“I live on my own and felt really intimidated and frightened like I had to pay up or else something bad would happen to me, even though I knew it wasn’t right, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
“The next day they never came back and I’ve got no number for them and no way of tracing who they are and can’t even find them registered anywhere on the internet.
“That’s all my money gone now - I’m on benefits and my health conditions and disabilities mean I can’t even finish the work myself as I struggle to walk or even stand for long because of my back.
“They’ve just left me with a total mess”.
The garden has been a problem for Ms Lusby since it was flooded in 2007 and she thought that the traders offering to fix it last week would sort the landscaping once and for all.
She says that the two men barely did two days work to clear the garden and that she hopes the culprits can be caught by the police.
The incident has been reported to officers and out of the two men, the older male was described as a tanned with an accent.
They used two white vans and one of them was a transit type with the wording “C PRICE” on the side and the other a smaller van.
“It’s so rotten and heartless what they’ve done to me and I saw them going about knocking on other people’s doors so I hope someone else vulnerable or a pensioner hasn’t been approached as well,” said Ms Lusby.
“I’m worried now as I don’t ever entertain people at the door but because I saw they had branded tops and a van that they were legitimate.
“I just hope the police can find them so I can get my money back”.
Humberside Police have asked residents to be vigilant following reports of suspected rogue traders targeting the Bilton Grange estate area.
If you have any information or have been approached, call police on 101 quoting reference number 294 of July 7, 2020.