FORCE
investment. Keeping costs as low as possible makes for a bigger return long term, but the temptation of cheaper work can sometimes prove to be fool’s gold. Cold Callers Rogue traders with some knowledge of the construction trade will drive around looking for opportunities to con people. Bereft of morals, they know that they will have more success by targeting elderly people who live alone, and will often use reconnaissance and patience to identify the most vulnerable people. Rogue traders are known to be particularly active in the aftermath of severe weather, knowing that storm damage will be recent and in need of repair. If they pass a property with some kind of minor structural damage this will be their chance to strike, cold calling at the property and offering immediate repairs. These are often unnecessary, poorly carried out and overpriced. There have been instances where elderly people have been conned out of their life savings by these practices. What to do if you receive a call Cold calling isn’t illegal, but if you have a sign or sticker on your door clearly stating that you have no desire to be cold called, and the caller ignores this, then they may be committing a criminal offence. Similarly, if a trader ignores your request to leave and not return they will be committing a criminal
offence. So if you wish to make your preferences clear and help to avoid an amount of unwanted callers then a good starting point is to use the FORCE sticker/poster on your front door. As part of our commitment to crime prevention we provide these free of charge for the community. At FORCE, our advice is not to deal with cold callers at all, but even if you have contacted a trader for a quote and invited them to your home with a view to work being carried out, you can do some research before they arrive to make sure you have chosen wisely! Sourcing a Reliable Worker Word of Mouth Spending time doing some research before you give a firm the job is probably the wisest move you can make. Some people will be able to refer to friends and family for recommendations, so if you know and trust someone that has had work carried out then ask them about the quality of the work, how reliable the worker was and how cost effective they were. If you know someone connected to the construction trade, maybe a
Federation of Regional Crime Enforcement
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