Officers were out in force across Somerset to tackle doorstep criminals during National Rogue Trader Week.
As a result of the activities, a trader was arrested in Burnham for a Trading Standards offence that is being dealt with under the Fraud Act.
Police say the man was caught in the act of working on a vulnerable, older adult’s house where he had charged an “unjustifiably large sum of money” for carrying out a simple cleaning job on the guttering of the house.
Police added that the trader had also failed to provide the householder with a written quote and cancellation notice in advance of starting the work, so fell foul of the regulations governing doorstep sales.
Sgt Ash Jones led the operation and is a member of the Senior Citizen Liaison Team.
He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Rogue trading concerns incidents where residents have been ‘cold called’. They include the practice of deliberately overcharging for unsatisfactory goods or services; charging for unnecessary work; damaging property deliberately, leaving work unfinished and intimidating behaviour in order to obtain money.”
“We advise residents check the identity of any caller by telephoning the company they say they are from. Use the telephone number in your local directory or provided by your service provider. Ask a neighbour or friend nearby to check out the caller before you open the door or agree to have work done.”
He added: “Don’t be pressurised into having work done on the spot, never pay cash up front and never go to a bank or cash point with a trader. If you suspect a rogue trader is at your door call 999 – if in doubt, keep them out.”
