Rogue trader warning after elderly lady targeted
A WARNING has been issued after an attempted rogue trader incident in the Harborough district.
At about midday on Wednesday, September 19, suspected rogue traders targeted an elderly lady in the Stretton Road area of Great Glen.
A medium-sized white Transit-style van pulled up outside a property containing three white males, one aged in his 40s and the other two aged in their early 20s.
All three suspects were wearing a grey top with a rainbow symbol on the left hand side with some words underneath.
The older male placed a ladder up against the property and the two younger men then went up onto the roof and dislodged a few tiles before coming back down and requesting that the resident pay £500 to repair the damage.
They requested cash rather than a cheque to undertake the repairs and, following a short conversation, they reduced the amount to £200.
The lady then went to a cashpoint in Main Street, Great Glen, to withdraw the money but a neighbour who had seen the earlier conversation stopped her from making a withdrawal.
When they returned to the property, the van and men had left. No work was carried out or money handed over.
The letters ‘J’ and ‘B’ were on the side of the van as were the words ‘guttering’ and ‘roofing’. No registration number was taken for the vehicle. A warning sent out by the Harborough Neighbourhood Watch team says: “The occupants of the van appear to be travelling around the area and will stop at any property that takes their fancy.
“The police would urge anyone who is approached by these or any other unknown trader or anyone initially offering to do any work on their property without arranging a prior appointment or providing a written estimate, to report it to the police immediately on 999.
“Never hand over money to anyone offering work in this manner. Use your door chain or door bar whenever you have an unexpected caller. Should you not have one, contact Harborough Be Safe on 0116 2483871 which may be able to fit one for you free of charge.”
The incident has been reported to Leicestershire Trading Standards.
If anyone has further information about this or any similar incident, phone the police on the 101 number.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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