Beware of the latest doorstep scams
Doorstep scammers have been operating across the country pretending to sell garden furniture, offering pressure washing of roofs and driveways, and promising to carry out weeding work.
Scotland’s national consumer advice service, consumeradvice.scot, has warned Renfrewshire residents that rogue traders are exploiting people looking to get last-minute home and garden repairs before summer ends.
Householders have also been conned by criminals claiming they had excess products left over from a previous job and offering to install driveways.
The scammers often target elderly residents and demand money up front.
Other examples include fraudsters offering to clean moss from roofs, carrying out garden maintenance then hiking the price at the end, and installing sub-standard waterproofing on driveways.
The examples have been recorded through the Scam Share initiative from Trading Standards Scotland, which asks people across Scotland to share instances.
Consumeradvice.scot is a free service which people can use to get confidential advice if they think they’ve been scammed, or are worried about it happening.
The organisation can then pass information to Trading Standards teams for it to be fully investigated.
Marjorie Gibson, head of operations with Scotland’s national consumer advice service, consumeradvice.scot, said:“Bogus traders operate across Scotland all year round, but it is a particular problem at this time of year.
“They know that people might be tempted by cheap jobs around the home and garden before the summer ends.
“Unfortunately, this has led to people being defrauded of their hard-earned cash, and people need to be aware of this risk.
“It is particularly despicable that these criminals target vulnerable and elderly residents.
“Our advisers can offer tips on what warning signs to look for and how to check a service or trader is legitimate.
“You should only use tradespeople you can absolutely trust, and most reputable professionals won’t have to knock on doors to get work.
“The best advice is to not respond to unsolicited offers unless you’re absolutely sure it’s legitimate, and not to give away information or money on the doorstep.”