Fraudsters offering shoddy repairs con resident out of £550
ROGUE traders are targeting elderly residents in Cheltenham and police are urging people to be vigilant.
Over recent days residents in the Wyman’s Brook area of Cheltenham have been targeted by bogus maintenance workers.
On one occasion, an elderly man was persuaded to pay to have his drive cleaned.
The fake contractors demanded the man hand over £550 for work which was not up to standard.
According to reports, the fraudsters have been offering to do maintenance work and taking sums of money before leaving and not returning or not completing the work as promised.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Fraudsters are extremely manipulative, sound professional and are very convincing in order to gain a victim’s trust.
“On this occasion, the fraudsters have targeted older residents so we are asking that this message is shared with any elderly residents or neighbours that you may have.
“Neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords.
“If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer, hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back.
“If you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time and try calling a family member or friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line.
“Just because someone knows basic details about you like your address or date of birth, it doesn’t mean they are genuine bank or police employees.
“Always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police.”
To report to the police, please call 101. Alternatively, if you think you or someone you know has been defrauded, you can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
We are asking that this message is shared with any elderly residents or neighbours Gloucestershire Constabulary