Rogue Trader Alert

Kesgrave - Public urged to be vigilant of rogue traders

Police are appealing for witnesses or information following an incident of fraud in Kesgrave, where a rogue trader visited an address offering to carry out work.

At approximately 9am yesterday, Tuesday 22 June, a man claiming to work for a local garage approached a man in his 60s outside a property in Edmonton Close.

He offered to fix a scratch on the victim’s vehicle, requesting £100 upfront for the repair, and walked the victim to the Tesco Metro cash machine in Ropes Drive.

Following payment, the man advised he would return to complete the work the next morning (today, Wednesday 23 June) but did not attend.

He is described as white, approximately 5ft 8ins in height, bald and of stocky build. He was wearing a light blue T-shirt and spoke with a local accent.

Police are urging people to be cautious before parting with their money or personal information, and to warn elderly relatives and neighbours about cold callers and rogue traders.

Further advice can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Officers would also like to hear from anybody else who has been approached in a similar way by those offering to carry out work.

Witnesses or those with any information are asked to contact police, quoting reference 33482/21 via this link existing report update form

Phone - Call 101

Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their online form

Please note in the event of an emergency you should always call 999.

Advice:
- Only accept help from people you know and / or trust. Never deal with unexpected cold callers
- You do not have to agree to anything you don’t feel comfortable with
- Check the person calling at your door has valid identification, even if they are dressed in uniform
- Banks will not ask for your personal security details
- Do not trust anyone asking for money transfers or cash over the phone

Further advice can be found on our website 'here'
 

First Principle security advice can be found here