The bank staff smelt a rat when the customer asked to withdraw a large amount of cash. By making tactful enquiries, they found out that the lady customer had been driven to the bank by roofers who had cold-called on her and were now seeking a cash payment, supposedly for materials.
The customer had not been told how much they were going to charge in total, just that it was going to be a large sum.
Bank staff refused to let the customer withdraw the cash and spoke to East Sussex Trading Standards who responded by travelling to Bexhill to speak to the roofers.
Realising that Trading Standards officers were on their way and they weren’t going to get the money, the cold-calling roofers quickly left the scene. But, as they had already started the work, they also left the roof exposed. With rain being forecast for the next few days, urgent action was required.
The Trading Standards officers contacted Amber Flat Roofing of St Leonards, one of the firms on East Sussex County Council’s Buy with Confidence approved trader scheme. They immediately sent a team to secure the roof against the rain.
They also pointed out that the cold-callers had not been doing a professional job. Their charges for materials alone were three times what Amber would have charged for the entire job.
Sussex Police were told about the incident and got in touch with the roofers to warn them to stay away. Officers also kept an eye on the householder over the weekend.
Councillor Bob Tidy, East Sussex County Council lead cabinet member for community services, said: "Summer is the peak time for cold callers offering to do home improvement work. Sadly it is very often the case that the work they do is shoddy and over-priced.
"In this case the combined involvement of the bank, Trading Standards, the police and the Buy with Confidence approved trader prevented the householder being conned. I must commend the bank staff and our approved trader for their prompt and public-spirited assistance.”
Cllr Tidy added: "Everyone should be alert to the dangers of dealing with cold-calling traders. The Buy with Confidence scheme has been set up by Trading Standards to try to combat the rogue traders and give people a source of reliable traders.”
Residents can find a Buy with Confidence approved trader by visiting our Buy with confidence pages or by calling the Buy with Confidence team on 01323 418201 or 418215.
Notes to editors
Local banks and building societies have joined East Sussex Trading Standards officers in the fight against rogue traders and doorstep conmen who prey on older or vulnerable people. Counter staff are urged to be vigilant and step in to help people who seem to be withdrawing unusually large sums of money especially when accompanied by an unknown person. Bogus callers and rogue traders often demand large amounts of cash and then drive their victims to the bank, building society or post office to pick up the money.
Bank and building society staff are providing another line of defence for the potential victims sending the rogues and conmen a clear message that there will be no hiding place for them. Counter staff are following a set of guidelines drawn up by Trading Standards which make sure the customer's wishes are paramount. Staff are encouraged to:
- tactfully enquire why the cash is needed
- point out the dangers of carrying large amounts of cash.
- discourage the customer from withdrawing cash and point out other ways of paying
- where possible, take the customer to a private area to give the advice
- if it is suspected the customer is in danger of becoming a victim, ask them if the police or Trading Standards can be called for advice.
Since the initiative was launched in the county in June 2004, Trading Standards has received a number of calls from vigilant bank and building society staff, where their prompt intervention has saved customers thousands of pounds.
In another recent case, a bank employee's suspicions were aroused when an elderly lady came in to the bank, accompanied by a male, seeking to withdraw a large cash sum. When asked about this withdrawal, the customer explained that she had been cold-called that morning by two men who were charging hundreds of pounds for work done to her home, and had brought her to the bank to get the money. The bank employee was so concerned that she escorted the lady home, and spoke with the trader who eventually accepted a fraction of the sum initially demanded and left.
In other cases, bank and building society counter staff have intervened to try to persuade customers against withdrawing large sums to send off to try to claim bogus prizes from foreign lottery scams.
East Sussex Trading Standards Services has also joined forces with colleagues in neighbouring counties to share intelligence, and create a regional database on the activities of rogue traders. The database was used recently to assist the successful prosecution by Cumbria Trading Standards of a father and son tarmaccing team for breaches of doorstep selling legislation. The database showed they had already been warned by local Trading Standards officers about the matter when they were in East Sussex.
Reference:
05/271/DB
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