Trading standards experts have warned that cold callers are preying on vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic. Householders must be on their guard against services they don’t need, or substandard goods.
Among the scams are getting bank details for ‘continued free school meals’, fake coronavirus home-testing kits, and selling face masks and hand sanitiser. (The latter may not technically be a scam. But always buy these items from a reputable retailer.)
In South Ribble, Lancashire, a doorstep caller tried to charge an elderly gentleman £3,500 for driveway pressure-washing. Trading Standards is investigating this matter. Presumably, the scammer insisted that sanitising of the man’s driveway was necessary due to the virus.
As one county councillor said: “Unfortunately, some fraudsters are taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak. They want to scam vulnerable people.”
Clearly, you always need to be wary of unsolicited emails, letters or phone calls. And say no to cold callers. (Also, tell elderly or otherwise vulnerable friends and relatives to do the same.)
Use your time to clean up outside
That’s not to say that cleaning the outside of your home isn’t a good idea. And you may have time at home now to sort out things like this. Equally, spring and early summer are the ideal times of year for outside cleaning.
The coronavirus lingers on hard surfaces like concrete, while pressure washing is a good way of removing dirt, grime and bacteria.
Hoping to sell up?
What’s more, if your plans for selling up are on hold, this is something you can do now. So when you’re finally able to show potential buyers around, your driveway and patio will be in great shape.
But book this work with a reputable provider.
Here to help
At Royal Stone Care, we never cold call and we don’t do the hard sell. So our customers know they’re in safe hands. We only attend prearranged appointments, and offer high-quality driveway and patio cleaning services. Talk to us about steam pressure washing the area outside your home or workplace – we operate across London.
