This is Julie’s story of how she fell for a scam but it didn’t end badly.

A guy turned up on the doorstep – very friendly and convincing, saying his company were doing a neighbour’s drive and had some spare supplies so could give me a good price. In fairness our drive was pretty grotty at the time, and my husband and I had discussed getting it done.

Unfortunately he was away on business otherwise he’d have seen through this cowboy but I tend to believe what people tell me and said it might be a good idea but could I think about it.

I guess the chap took that to be a “yes” and not long after they appeared with tools and started ripping up our existing drive.

It was, to be fair, nice when it was done but I asked the neighbour the man had specifically pointed out as also having their drive done, and it was completely untrue.

I learned afterwards from my husband that this “we’re doing a neighbour’s drive and have extra supplies” is a very common trick.

As is the need for cash – supposedly because they’ve spent theirs getting supplies for the new drive and need cash to feed their kids or whatever. In this case the man was so persuasive about needing cash that I ended up driving my own car to a very public cash machine (he said he’d take me himself but I’m not quite that daft!), withdrew the maximum I could (I think £200 then) although he wanted more,

I said that was it plus I made him sign the receipt. There was an occasion when he became abusive, having discovered a bit of the pathway at the end had a drain or something he hadn’t noticed previously and he said he wanted more money to deal with it.

Luckily by then my husband was back by then and told him in no uncertain terms that he’d contracted for a job at a particular price and if he’d got it wrong then he’d got it wrong and needed to get on with what he’d said he’d do.

The man used a fair bit of bad language and threatened to smash up the drive he’d already done but for once in my life at that point I’d absolutely had enough and completely lost my temper (probably only the second time ever!) and I’m slightly ashamed to say that I gave as good as he did, even in the bad language stakes!

Amazingly it seemed to work because he calmed down and apologised for upsetting me and they got on with the drive, which was actually very nice when it was done, even if it did end at the drain where he’d had a problem, That didn’t actually matter as it couldn’t be seen.

I think my main concerns for other people, especially elderly folk, is the aggression and persuasion these people show and particularly the demand for cash.

I know some older folk tend to keep cash in the house and may well part with a considerable sum possibly without asking for receipts.

I’ve learned my lesson the hard way but now we have the perfect excuse for not having any work done – we just say we’re tenants and can’t do anything without the Landlord’s permission!

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.

There are many genuine trades people and sellers who knock at your door offering legitimate services and products. But, there are also many scammers who want to talk you into bad deals or just steal your money.

For many older and vulnerable people, doorstep sellers can be frightening or too convincing.

If you don’t feel safe answering the door to someone you don’t know then don’t. Someone calling unexpectedly has no right to your time or courtesy. It’s your choice to answer or ignore.

The following precautions may help:-

1. Keep your doors locked even when at home
2. Have a chain on your front door so you can safely open it just a few inches
3. Have a spy hole (or electronic eye) fitted in the door so you can who’s knocking
4. Get a Trading Standards sticker ‘NO COLD CALLERS’

Trading Standards say you should never sign anything on the spot, never agree to allow any work to start right away and remember that you normally have a 14 day cooling-off period during which you can cancel any work and receive a refund of money paid.

They also say that you should never agree to have work done by someone just passing by. If some work is needed, get at least two quotations from reputable traders. Your local Trading Standards Service may operate an ‘approved trader scheme’ or use check-a-trade or similar review website.

Bogus callers may turn up on your doorstep and say that they have come to investigate a water leak or they are lost and need a drink of water. Sometimes they may say they have a child who has lost a ball in your back garden. They are probably trying to trick you to let them into your home so they can steal cash and valuable items. Don’t let them in.

It isn’t rude to ask someone to leave – it is your right.

The presence of Neighbourhood Watches does seem reduce this type of crime. This is largely because people are more aware of possible crimes and do keep an eye out for unexpected visitors to their doors. Also, door-to-door crooks tend to avoid areas where there are any signs of organisation against crime.

Stay Safe.

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Coronavirus has speeded the move for many people from shopping on the High street to shopping online which then means a delivery, usually within a few days.

Again, the effect of Coronavirus has been that couriers just leave ring your doorbell and leave the item without ever seeing you.

When they cannot leave the item they sometimes leave a non-delivery card telling you how to collect your item from a distribution centre or arrange a new delivery. Quite often this is now done electronically but scammers have picked up on the use of these cards and create their own.

Across Surrey and elsewhere more of these fake cards are being left at people’s homes.

If you access the website listed then you get to a web page asking for delivery details then it will have a reason to ask for your payment details.

It may say you need to pay small fee to rearrange delivery or that there has been an underpayment by the sender.

Whatever the reason – they just want your card details to sell to other scammers and identity thieves.

If you believe a genuine delivery was attempted but did not happen, then find the company details for yourself i.e. not off any card pushed through the letterbox. Then contact the sender or courier directly to sort things out.

Any demand for further payment is likely to mean there is a scam in progress.

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.

This is a door-to-door scam carried out by opportunist criminals.

They generally target elderly people, especially elderly single women in houses that look as if the owner will have cash available.

They will often claim that they were driving past and noticed that you had a problem with your roof or missing tiles or a leaning chimney etc. They turn up at your door to warn you of the problem and offer to have a look and assess what needs to be done.

Having checked it out then they tell you the bad news – it’s a dangerous problem and has to be fixed urgently and of course they have the skills to do the job and can so straightaway.

There’s usually the incentive of pay in cash and get a big discount.

This may seem helpful to the homeowner, but it’s all a scam.

If you agree to them doing the work for you – they either disappear once the cash is handed over or they may do the work, but to such a poor standard that you have to get in a professional roofer to fix what’s been done. In some cases, they cause deliberate damage then charge even more to supposedly fix that.

However it works out –  you lose.

To avoid the scam roofers

• Do not deal with someone who turns up on your doorstep – tell them to go away.
• Do not allow anyone to look at the ‘problem’ unless you have called them out to your property and they are known to be a local reputable business.

If you need roofing work or anything similar, find a local professional who is recommended by someone you know or at least has positive reviews online.

If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.