At this time of year, when many of us are turning our attention to gardening and household maintenance, criminals often take advantage and prey on the unsuspecting.
One such incident took place recently at a home in Inverness, where an unexpected leaflet dropped through the letterbox offering landscape works. The householder responded and invited the bogus workmen to attend; a burglary took place shortly afterwards.
Mark McGinty, Highland Council’s Trading Standards Team Leader, said: “This is a known, commonly used tactic by bogus workman. My best advice is, even if you are thinking about getting some gardening works done, do not respond to the leaflet and do not engage on your doorstep.
“Householders often give away information that can be exploited, meaning one way or another, the householder is out of pocket.”
Householders in Scotland can receive free and confidential advice if they have been approached by a bogus workman. Consumeradvice.scot is a dedicated consumer advice service to provide advice, assistance and information to people on a range of consumer issues and concerns. They can be contacted on 0808 164 6000 or alternatively by email at advice@consumeradvice.scot, or via webchat at www.consumeradvice.scot
