Rogue traders are a blight on any community, and can pose an especial danger to isolated, elderly and vulnerable people.
We’ve recently had a few instances of cold callers pretending to be from the council in order to access people’s homes, and persuade them into paying them for services they don’t need.
It’s not us!
We want to assure you – it’s not us.
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Council staff will always get in touch with residents in advance before visiting. And if you do have one of our staff at your door, you’re always welcome to ask for identification and get in touch with the council to verify they are who they say they are.
Genuine callers won’t be offended and will be happy to either wait until you check, or call back another time.
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But rogue traders are a lot more insistent, and will rarely take no for an answer.
What starts out as a seemingly innocent and harmless cold call can often lead to much more aggressive or demanding behaviour from fraudsters, who will often force people to pay money for services they don’t need – usually at wildly exaggerated costs.
Rogue traders will seem polite to start…
To start with, rogue traders will usually seem very polite, friendly and helpful.
But further down the line, they turn to intimidation to then demand large sums of cash. They will even escort people to their bank to take out money, and sadly we often see repeat instances of this kind of victimisation, with criminals targeting vulnerable people as a source of money.
The affect that this type of crime can have on people’s mental health is significant, leading to increased feelings of insecurity, isolation, embarrassment and vulnerability.
No one should be made to feel vulnerable within their own homes.
Get in touch with Trading Standards
If anyone encounters such doorstep sellers at their home, they are within their rights to turn down any such offers of work – no matter how polite the seller may seem.
If the sellers become insistent, suspicious or aggressive, members of the public can contact Wrexham Council’s Trading Standards service on 01978 298997 or North Wales Police on 101, or dial 999 in an emergency.
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