I think it's important that people talk about this because if it helps warn just one person it's worth it.
Never ever ever give someone cash who has just knocked on your door.
My Aunt is elderly and vulnerable, she lives along and looks like an easy target, luckerly she's still got all her shillings but there are so many in her position that don't.
She needed a new roof so very wisely she asked a trusted handyman whom she's known since the Dark ages for a recommendation, he gave her the number of a trusted tradesman who came out and looked at the job, he said he was very busy but promised it would be done before winter, as it turned out he was to busy to get to her so he asked if it was ok to pass the job on to a friend of his who's worked with before and trusted him, she said yes. The new guy rang her and gave her a start date and few days before the scaffolding went up, the day before the job was due to start she had a knock on the door and man stood there and told her he was with roofing company and they'ed ran into a few difficulties and would she be able to pay part of the money up front? She asked how much and he said £3000! She told him she never kept cash in the house but he kept talking to her about the work that was being done and how he wouldn't be able to garantee it would be done by winter, he was trying to pressure her into giving him cash. In the end she told him to come back tomorrow and she'd go to the bank, she just wanted to close the door. The next morning the real roofer showed up and she told him what happened, she said he was furious and told her to shout him in if the guy showed up for the money and he'd deal with it but luckerly he never came back. I think he must have seen the roofers there and realised he'd been rummbled.
I've told her if she sees him again to just ring the police. Some people have no conscience about taking money from the elderly and vulnerable.
If in doubt ring the police.
Never ever ever give someone cash who has just knocked on your door.
My Aunt is elderly and vulnerable, she lives along and looks like an easy target, luckerly she's still got all her shillings but there are so many in her position that don't.
She needed a new roof so very wisely she asked a trusted handyman whom she's known since the Dark ages for a recommendation, he gave her the number of a trusted tradesman who came out and looked at the job, he said he was very busy but promised it would be done before winter, as it turned out he was to busy to get to her so he asked if it was ok to pass the job on to a friend of his who's worked with before and trusted him, she said yes. The new guy rang her and gave her a start date and few days before the scaffolding went up, the day before the job was due to start she had a knock on the door and man stood there and told her he was with roofing company and they'ed ran into a few difficulties and would she be able to pay part of the money up front? She asked how much and he said £3000! She told him she never kept cash in the house but he kept talking to her about the work that was being done and how he wouldn't be able to garantee it would be done by winter, he was trying to pressure her into giving him cash. In the end she told him to come back tomorrow and she'd go to the bank, she just wanted to close the door. The next morning the real roofer showed up and she told him what happened, she said he was furious and told her to shout him in if the guy showed up for the money and he'd deal with it but luckerly he never came back. I think he must have seen the roofers there and realised he'd been rummbled.
I've told her if she sees him again to just ring the police. Some people have no conscience about taking money from the elderly and vulnerable.
If in doubt ring the police.