AN elderly man has been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a rogue trader incident in Stourport.

On Friday January 19, a man in his 70s was approached by an unknown man in The Grove requesting work to check the roof of the property.

The victim was charged thousands of pounds to strengthen the chimney and have lead added around it. The offender said he needed to return to finish other work on the property.

The same man, along with his manager, then returned on Friday January 26 stating that more work was required to fix the roof. The victim has then gone to the bank to withdraw a further large sum of money, when concerns were raised by the bank.

West Mercia Police’s Kidderminster officers are now appealing for more information from the community about the Stourport incident.

Anyone who might have witnessed anything suspicious within the area or have information relating to these suspected cold callers, should call West Mercia Police on 101 and quote incident 426s of Monday 10 April 2017.

Alternatively, to give information anonymously call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers.org.uk.

PC Alexandra Lewis, of West Mercia Police, said: “If you need work doing to your house, or if you need to contact a tradesperson always ask friends or neighbours if they can recommend anyone that has done work for them which they have been satisfied with.

“Don't be fooled by the charm and the low cost of potential guttering, roof work or damp in walls fixes.

“Alternatively look in a local trade's directory and ask the trader for the names of people they have completed work for, so you can check on the quality and cost of the work. It is also wise to get at least three quotes.”

There are a number of steps to take to protect yourself from distraction burglary:

  • check to see who is at the door by using your door viewer, or looking through a front window
  • always put the chain on before you open the door as this is a barrier against unwanted callers
  • when an unexpected caller claims they work for one of the utility companies, they must be able to quote your password and unique customer number and produce an identity card: all of the utility companies operate password schemes - contact the customer services department and set up a password with them
  • make a note of your customer number, which can be found at the top of the utility bill and keep it handy - this number is unique to your household
  • as added proof of identity, genuine trades people should carry an identification card with their photograph on -check this carefully and keep the chain on
  • if you're unsure about the caller's identity telephone the company the caller claims to represent, but don't rely on them giving you the number as it may be false - genuine callers won't mind waiting
  • if you're still unsure, ask the caller to come back later so that you can arrange for a friend or relative to be present