What does this type of fraud involve?
Legitimate doorstep selling involves someone selling you goods
or services in your home or on your doorstep. Many honest
businesses use this technique - but so do fraudsters.
Buying on your doorstep can be convenient. But a salesman using
clever tactics can pressurise you into buying
something you don’t want or something that is poor value
for money.
Door-to-door frauds can take many forms, such as:
- pressure selling
- unfair contracts
- overpriced or substandard home maintenance or
improvements
- phoney consumer surveys
- bogus charity collections.
How do these types of fraud affect me?
Having purchased, or agreed to purchase, goods or services from
a legitimate salesperson, your chances of receiving a
refund may be limited if you fail to cancel the contract
inside any cooling off period. Once the cooling off period has
expired, you will have to pay for the goods or services you
bought - whether you want them or not.
Having purchased goods or services, you may find the
same salesperson or other salespeople call or visit you
again and again. That’s because you will be marked as an
easy target for future sales if your name ends up on a list of
willing buyers.
Bogus salespeople will provide false
identity or contact information, making it impossible for
you to identify or contact them. If you have paid them in advance,
you will not get any money back.
When filling in forms or speaking to the salesperson, you risk
revealing confidential details that a fraudster could use to assume
your identity or take control of your finances. This may allow a
fraudster to steal money from your account or
order goods and services in your name.
Even if your bank or insurance policy covers any loss, you will
still have to contend with a damaged credit
rating, continued correspondence over a prolonged period
to repair the damage, and the emotional distress and anxiety
identity theft can cause.
Apart from suffering direct financial losses,
you might have opened your door to a burglar or
someone who wants to get inside your property to enable other
people to break in. Once they get through your door, fraudulent
salespeople will take note of your valuables and any security
measures you have in place.
What should I do?
When dealing with any door-to-door salesperson, always remember
to:
- Check the seller’s identity
- Take control by asking the questions
- Don’t sign on the spot, shop around
- If in any doubt, ask the person to leave or
call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. (Consumer
Direct works in partnership with local Trading Standards
Authorities).
If you’re suspicious, why not ask the salesman if you can take
their photograph - on your mobile phone, for example? If the
person is legitimate, they probably won’t mind.
If you decide to buy:
- Don’t be rushed into a sale
- Always get any agreement you make in
writing
- Usually, you have a seven-day cooling off
period. So if you decide to cancel the contract, act
fast
- Think very carefully about having any work
done or goods delivered during the cooling off period. You may have
to pay even if you change your mind.
You can report the salesperson to Consumer
Direct or your local Trading Standards Authority if you believe
they have sold you faulty, inferior or overpriced products or
services.
Similarly, you can seek advice from the
Citizens Advice Bureau on terms and conditions of any agreement or
contract you may have signed.
If you have made the payment by credit/debit card or by cheque,
contact your credit card company and/or bank and
advise them that you are a victim of improper door-to-door sales
techniques and your identity or financial details may have been
compromised. They will advise you on cancelling
payments and ensuring your finances remain secure.