News and Scam Alerts from Coventry Trading Standards - 28 August 2020

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

News and Scam Alerts from Coventry Trading Standards - 28 August 2020

In this issue:

Bank Holiday weekend warning – Stay rogue trader aware!

rt

Following on from last week’s rogue trader warning, Trading Standards are again reminding residents to stay alert, especially over the Bank Holiday.

The Bank Holiday should be a time for days out, a well-deserved rest or getting jobs done at home, not worrying about who is knocking at your door.

But sadly, it's those jobs around the house that are so tempting to rogue traders travelling from door-to-door looking for their next victim.

Trading Standards are warning residents to be on their guard if approached by anyone cold calling at their homes offering any type of property maintenance or gardening services.

When employing these doorstep callers, the concern is that after agreeing to work for a nominal cost, the resident is then informed that there is a lot more work needed, and the costs escalate.

If work needs to be done on your property, known and reputable traders should be used.

Although it is not illegal for traders to go door to door, unless there are specific restrictions within that location, most agreements entered must come with written cancellation rights unless the cost is under £42.

If you didn't arrange for a visit, the advice is to politely decline any offers of work and close your door.

Be firm, as rogue traders are in the habit of turning up in the evenings and at weekends and often more than once to try put pressure on people.

These individuals will soon move on if their source of work – and income – dries up.

Our advice as always is not to deal with cold callers as this is a favoured approach used by rogue traders whose sole intention is to extract as much money from residents as possible.

REMEMBER - a trader who ignores any request by you to leave your home and not return commits a criminal offence!

We would also ask that if you have any elderly or vulnerable neighbours that you keep a look out for rogue traders especially if you notice cold callers in your area or anyone acting suspiciously.

It would also help if registration numbers of vehicles being used by the cold callers are noted down and reported.

Anyone with information on rogue traders or scams, can report to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or use the online reporting form.

Top of page

Beware Council Tax scam

Council tax scam

Trading standards is warning people to be aware of an email being received by Coventry residents that tells the recipient they are due a discount on their council tax and therefore can claim a refund on part of their payments. See above image for example.

This is a phishing e-mail scam. It alleges confirmation of a ‘Council Tax Reduction’ due for £395.50, after considering your Council Tax band and your income.
You are asked to click on a link to ‘apply now’ to claim reductions for the past two years.

The link does not take you to Coventry City Council Tax Department but a fake fraudster's website where you are asked to provide personal and bank details.

How to protect yourself

  • Do not click on any links or open attachments contained within any unsolicited emails.
  • If an email appears to have come from a person or organisation you know of, but the message is unexpected or unusual, contact them directly via another method to confirm that they sent you the email.
  • If you receive an email which asks you to login to an online account via a link provided in the email, instead of clicking on the link, open your browser and go directly to the company’s website yourself.
  • If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open.
  • If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank, and report it to Action Fraud.

The Valuation Office Agency, who are responsible for determining the council tax band for your home, have provided some useful information about Council Tax scams and what you can do to avoid them.

For more information on scams, visit: www.coventry.gov.uk/scams

How to report scams