Sinister new distraction scam

[Barmaid]

We all see these scams from time to time. My own grandparents were burgled on Friday - their neighbours at the same time but "distraction" and "can I get my ball out of your garden mister" ploy was used with the neighbours.

A colleague of mine rang me last night to say that her elderly mother had received a call on Wednesday from the gas board. The nice young man explained that there was a gas leak in the area and that they would be there the following morning to turn off the gas and electricity supply and that she was not to worry and one of his men would go into her house and ensure everything was OK. She sat and thought about this for a bit and then went to her neighbours who had received no call. She then went across the road, they had received no call. So the next morning she called the police. The "gas board" never arrived (we rather suspect the presence of 2 police cars may have had something to do with it). In fact the "gas board" when contacted knew nothing of this.

A sinister turn on the "distraction burglary" thing. Let those who are vulnerable know that there are some real barstewards out there.

[~Wingnut~]

Good grief the lengths that some go to to screw over the vulnerable just beggers belief Barmaid! Good on that woman for ringing the police but I am sorry to hear about what happened to your Grandparents and their neighbour. I hope their feeling better now as they must have had a nasty shock.

We have an elderly neighbour who we keep an eye out on and we shall go inform him of this 'trick' so he is aware.

Thanx for bringing this to light :o)

[SA80]

Thanks for that,

Point to note regarding the Police though, had they not positioned two marked cars in the area and used covert ones instead they might just have caught the low-lifes in the act thereby

1) Upping their arrest and crime detection figures (good for achieving government set targets)

2) Taken the scum off the streets and reduced the crime level in that area.

That said perhaps it did prevent a crime taking place, which can't be bad at all, can it?

[sir.knobby]

Two marked cops cars sitting outside waiting for them.

God barmaid sometimes the old bill can be so thick cant they

[Barmaid]

They are still very shocked Wingnut. Nan doesn't think she will ever get over it. Grandad on the other hand would actually like them to come back so he can "have a go" on the basis that the germans didn't get him and the americans didn't get him so he'll be damned if anyone is going to scare him in his own home (don't worry, we have given him firm advice to get the hell out and dial 999 and have also seriously beefed up security for them).

Good point SA - but at that stage, the police didn't know whether it was a scam or not. And I suppose prevention is better than cure!!!

You sometimes see these things being passed round on email - which are just scaremongering. I would probably not had taken any notice either had it not happened to someone I have known for 20 years!!!

[Ethel]

It's a nightmare - being over pension age, deaf and not as mobile as I could be I do feel vulnerable.

Looking at id cards is a waste of time - I have no idea what a company's id card should look like,and anyone with a pc, printer and laminator can cobble one up.

Thankfully I have a very high gate which I keep locked. If anyone claims to be from the water company or gas/electric and so on, I ask them to write down my account number. When I go to fetch a pen and paper I also get my camera and take their photos.

If they can't give me my account number, I tell them to come with the police if they absolutely must gain entry.

Over cautious I may be, but three times they have run off when they saw the camera.

[Barmaid]

Ethel, I am not surprised you feel vulnerable. I feel vulnerable but the only reason is that I am a single female living alone.

My grandparents had a high gate which was padlocked - unfortunately, the sods took it off the hinges.

You are right about ID cards, I would never trust anyone with an ID card. Won't even let the bloke in to read the meter (I know, I sound like a bag, but I just don't want a strange man in my house when he could have got a gismo and an ID card from anywhere). I tell him to leave a card and I will fill it in and post it.

And you are not being over cautious at all. I wish more people were as cautious and then the scumbags would not get away with preying on the most vulnerable. LOVE the camera idea though. Class!!

[Ethel]

My meters are read from outside the house - I certainly wouldn't let a meter reader unless I had somebody else in the house with me.

I have given old and used disposable cameras to elderly friends of mine - pretending to take a photo is enough.

*I keep a disposable camera in the car at all times*

[Barmaid]

I am going to see if I can get a disposable camera tomorrow to post to my grandparents. Think it is just brilliant. Dunno why I didn't use joined up thinking - about 5 years ago I did take pictures of someone I thought was breaking into next doors (it was in fact a tradesmen, so I felt a bit daft, although the neighbours at the time were grateful). My camera is always handy and charged in the house so no reason why they shouldn't have one handy.

[jen78]

It's frightening what people will try these days, I remember some men conning their way into my elderly great aunt's house and robbing her and Neil's elderly great auntie was robbed while she was asleep not long ago.

She now has a movement sensor alarm fitted to all accesses which triggers a call to family, one by one, nearby then to the police if no-one answers.

It went off when we were having a party to celebrate her birthday at Neil's parents and the neighbour was called and the men were round there in 10 minutes to check it out.

Luckily we have secured entry and a front door spyhole in the current flat and long carpetted hall so anyone who rings the doorbell can be scrutinised without them hearing someone is in. Three burly blokes knocked on the other week and there was no way I was answering it being there on my own.

I'm having to think again now moving into my own place again. I've been in the house on my own before while people have broken in, had someone come in and steal my handbag from right next to me while I was sleeping and had some nutter who kept trying to get into my old flat in the early hours.

I want a ground floor place or house so I can rescue some cats but the security does concern me especially as I'm a fresh air freak.

[Barmaid]

Jen your concerns were the same as mine when I bought this place. Mind you - my back garden is well overlooked (no privacy v better security) and I can always see my back door from the garden - front door is locked at all times.

A few years ago I (Stupidly) rented a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere (cos it was lovely). I gave no real thought to security until one early September evening I saw a man peering through my dining room windows. Like the utter mug that I am, I went marching outside and told him to clear the hell off. After a short row he did. I called the police to give a description so there was a report on file in case of a burglary. They went mad!! Insisted on sending an officer out. 10 minutes later I had half of Suffolk Constabulary standing in my kitchen giving me a thoroughly good talking to about being SOOOOO stupid (I see it now, just not then!). They nicked him just up the road and then CID visited to say that the uniforms had given him a "good talking to"?! and he would not come within a mile of this place again. For the next couple of weeks the police called randomly to see if I was OK. Would never have another place like that though without a very big dog!!

[jen78]

I'm in a real quandry at the moment. Want to move a bit out of the city centre and am looking at two locations for renting.

One has a lovely little house (can sleep upstairs and have the window open) but it's smack bang in the middle of a really not very nice area and I'd worry about security and getting to and from home at night especially as a lone female.

The other is a far better location but only flats. Am looking at ground floor ones so it's feasible to have a cat(s) as they have gardens to the rear and lots of lovely places for them to play away from main roads.

I've never had a ground floor flat, always been up high or in a basement and the security issue is a worry.

[Barmaid]

You could still go for a flat higher than the ground floor and rescue cats since some cats prefer to be indoors all the time. OK, so keeping mine in is somewhere between hell and purgatory, but a very old friend of mine had cats from kittens which he kept as house cats and they were very happy.

Before I got my second cat I went to the local rescue centre and there were "house cats" for rescue there (couldn't take one because my other cat is an outdoor cat and she has a cat flap so house cat would be in trouble!).

Personally though I'd go for the nicer area!