NEWS

Summer Warning On Door-To-Door Crooks

The summer holidays are almost upon us - and will bring a plague of uninvited doorstep callers trying to persuade people to part with their money, warns the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).
The period from late June to September is traditionally the 'hotspot' period for complaints about cold-calling, said the TSI's lead officer on scams, Sarah Smith.
Figures from Consumer Direct - the Government-backed telephone and online consumer advice service which works in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services - show that more than 8,600 people called last year to complain about unwanted callers offering to sell products or services at the door.
The worst month for complaints is August (877 complaints last year), followed by September (831) and July (794).

Paving gangs generated the most complaints overall (865 in a year), closely followed by complaints about callers offering to do general building work (616), roofing (536), double glazing, guttering, fascias and gardening.