Police issue warning over cold callers after Alderbury incident
Man targeted couple claiming work needed on roof
Wiltshire Police are urging residents to be mindful of cold callers claiming to be workmen following an incident in Alderbury.
A couple who had previously had loft insulation work carried out at their property by legitimate company HomeSmart Installations, were approached by a man claiming to be from the same company. He told the couple they needed further extensive work carried out on the exterior of their roof and that they needed to pay a deposit immediately, so that the work could be carried out the following day, which the couple did.
They were later contacted by HomeSmart directly who said they were aware a number of their customers had been targeted by scammers claiming to be from the company and that they are working closely with Trading Standards and police to investigate further.
Det Con Sue Ellway said:
“This scam seems to be targeting HomeSmart and other loft insulation company’s customers. HomeSmart is a legitimate company but these suspects are using the company’s name to gain the trust of their customers. I’d urge anyone who is approached in a similar way to contact HomeSmart in the first instance so that information can be reported to police and fully investigated.”
Paul Byrne from HomeSmart Installations said:
“As soon as we found out these scammers were targeting customers who have had loft insulation installed, we informed the police and Trading Standards and we contacted each of our customers personally to warn them of their tactics.
“The communication sent out to our customers also informed them that any contact they receive from an individual claiming to be acting on behalf of HomeSmart Installations, can be quickly verified as genuine by contacting us directly to check.”