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Rogue Trader Warning For Isle Of Wight Residents

Isle of Wight residents are being warned about 'rogue traders' who have been doing the rounds on the Island.

Rogue Traders

IWASP (Isle of Wight Against Scams Partnership) has received various reports about rogue traders in different trades, but using similar methods of operating - including heating engineers, window cleaners and landscape gardening.

The advice is to NOT engage with anyone on the doorstep. They may say that they have been sent, or pretend that they have done work on your property in the past or hand you a flier - none of these is a sign of a genuine trader. These traders may act charming to start with, but can quickly turn to intimidation if you don’t agree. If you believe you need work done at your property then take the time to find a genuine trader, do some research and obtain more than one quote.

You can find a trader on the Trader Approval Scheme (iow.gov.uk) or by talking to friends, family or neighbours who have had a job done well. NEVER trade on the doorstep.

You can obtain a no cold calling sticker by contacting [email protected] and giving your postal address and one will be sent to you.

 

Telephone Scammers

Reports have been received of telephone callers wanting to visit your property, so that it can be featured as a show house in a brochure for solar panels and driveways. This is a scam, the number that called was researched on Who called me? | United Kingdom's Free Reverse Phone Lookup (who-called.co.uk) - and it is a scam caller.

A local business has reported a call, purporting to be HSBC, who wanted to speak to the person responsible for making payments. They allegedly wanted to check a couple of  'suspicious' payments, before releasing them. The business recognised it as a scam and challenged them, before hanging up.

Whether you are an individual or a business and you receive phone contact from the 'bank', it should be treated with caution. You can call 159 then select the number for your bank to go straight through to them where you can verify if they have contacted you.

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