St Helens Council is advising residents to be wary of individuals carrying out doorstep cold calling in the borough….
Recently there have been reports of doorstep cold calling in the Fingerpost and Blackbrook areas, with householders told that installation of smart meters was compulsory and should be fitted to the front door immediately.
The cold callers raised suspicion by not presenting any identification or giving any indication of which energy company they were employed by. Residents were then told by the unsolicited callers that they would return to fit the mandatory meters.
Chief Trading Standards Officer for St Helens Council, Darrell Wilson said: “This appears to be very suspicious activity. I would advise that if a resident is cold called in this way that under no circumstances should they let the caller into their property. Residents would have received information in advance from their energy provider concerning the rollout of smart meters, and only where the customer has agreed to an installation, involving a pre-booked appointment.”
Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of any doorstep offender or rogue trader should ring 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Trading Standards would also like residents to report any such instances to the team on 01744 676 299 or via tradingstandards@sthelens.gov.uk, providing as many details as possible about the person and what was said. Any leaflets or documentation should be kept and if possible a note made of the registration of any vehicle that the cold caller was using.
via www.sthelens.gov.uk/newsroom/2016/04/15/bogus-traders-offer-smart-meters/
