Beware of flyposting and doorstep scams.
Rogue traders are using more ways to target residents, not just via cold calling. Residents are therefore advised to stay vigilant, verify trader credentials, and avoid unsolicited work.
Bromley Trading Standards continues to warn residents about the risks of dealing with cold callers offering home improvement services, such as roofing, gardening, driveway cleaning, etc. However, rogue traders are also using alternative methods such as fly posting and other forms of advertising to reach potential victims.
In a recent case, for instance, Trading Standards and the council’s Enviro-crime team investigated reports of fly-posters advertising driveway work in Bromley. One report involved a resident that had paid a lot of money for work that was nowhere near the quoted value. As there was no paperwork involved in this case, the trader has not yet been identified. Enquiries are ongoing, and it is important to note that flyposting itself is a criminal offence.
Regardless of their methods, dealing with doorstep traders carries the same significant risks:
- Being pressured into making quick decisions
- Having only a fraction of the quoted repairs completed
- Being left with shoddy workmanship and inflated charges
- Needing to pay for work to be rectified or completed by a reputable trader
How to protect yourself
The Trading Standards advice is clear: don't deal with doorstep traders and seek out bona fide traders instead. Be highly selective when choosing traders for work - use Trading Standards Checked to find a reliable trader.
Don't:
- Don't respond to advertisements through fly posting
- Don't contact traders or agree to work from leaflets, websites, or social media without making proper checks
- Don't pay large sums of money upfront - schedule payment as works progress
- Don't be rushed into decisions without independent advice
Do:
- Obtain at least three written quotes based on a clear brief
- Check references, reliable reviews, and previous work
- Verify company details via Companies House
- Confirm any claimed trade business affiliation
- Obtain a written contract with full 14-day cooling-off rights
- Verify insurance
- Be cautious of cash-only payments or requests to pay individuals unconnected with the business
- Question any claims of immediate availability
- Look out for neighbours, particularly those who are isolated or vulnerable
Report, advice, and guidance
If you believe you or someone you know is at immediate risk of losing money to a scam or doorstep criminal, contact the police directly on 999.
Contact Citizens Advice for help and advice on 0808 223 1133 or on the Citizens Advice website.
Contact your bank’s fraud team - call 159 or visit the Stop Scams website.
If you have been tricked into sending money by bank payment and need advice on asking your bank to help get your money back, check out the Toolkit and UK Finance Authorised Push Payment Fraud guidance on the Friends Against Scams website.
Report the removal of fly posting on the council website.
Witnessed fly posting? Report this and other Environmental crime on the council website.
Request a no cold caller sticker from Trading Standards by sending an email to trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk.
You can also visit the council website for more Trading Standards advice on doorstep crime and scams.
For general information about scams in various languages visit the Friends Against Scams website.
Bromley Trading Standards
To keep up with the latest scam alerts and warnings from Bromley Trading Standards sign up on www.bromley.gov.uk/TradingStandardsAlertSignUpForm.
Bromley Trading Standards also runs a fair-trader directory to help you find a safe, reliable trader that you can trust, visit www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandardschecked to learn more.