Consumer Alerts – April 2025
17th of April, 2025
Bogus roofers cold calling in Clayton
An elderly couple in Clayton Le Moors were cold called by a roofer who claimed there was a hole in their roof, a two day job to fix. The fraudster refused to take a cheque or bank payment and insisted on cash, charging £1500 for a small amount of work to the roof which may have not been needed.
Never deal with cold callers who turn up unexpectedly. Claiming there is an issue with your roof is a common ploy used by such scammers, worrying the householder over an issue that can be difficult to check the validity of.
Bogus roofers cold calling in Chorley
Two men with Irish accents driving a white van targeted an estate in Chorley, cold calling at a number of houses claiming each property needed the ridge tiles repointing or a slate replacing. Three individual residents were charged £130, £600 and £1400 for the same small job on each house with the roofers speaking in a rude and insulting way to the householders. No paperwork and no cancellation rights were provided.
Trading Standards advice is to always say no to cold callers. The Safetrader scheme can help you find a trader in your area, contact 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.
Beware scam Apple email
The email impersonating Apple tells you that your account has been disabled for violating Apple's policy and that you must verify your Apple ID information to avoid your account being terminated.
It includes a link which leads to a phishing website designed to steal your personal and financial information.
Parcel scam texts
Always keep up to date with orders and parcels you are expecting delivery of after a spate of scam parcel delivery messages have been reported. A text impersonating Royal Mail states your parcel can't be delivered due to 'missing or damaged address information' and then provides a link to 'update your details' which leads to a phishing website.
Also beware of receiving a WhatsApp message from a compromised business account telling you that your delivery has ‘failed’ and includes a link to a copycat Evri website.
Beware scam DVLA email
The email impersonating the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises that your latest vehicle tax payment failed due to incorrect details. A link is provided to update your details or risk a fine of up to £1,000. It also claims that your details may be passed onto a debt collection agency.
Report scam emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Report scam texts by forwarding to 7726.
Contact the Trading Standards Service via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.