Moray residents are being urged to look out for bogus doorstep traders preying on elderly and vulnerable neighbours as part of next week’s National Consumer Week campaign.
With 170,000 incidents of doorstep crime occurring nationally each year, the 2014 Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Traders campaign encourages neighbours, friends, families and carers to nominate themselves to discourage rogue traders.
These traders often cold-call and offer to carry out repairs which are poor quality, unnecessary and charged at extortionate prices.
Leon Livermore, Standards Institute chief executive, said this campaign gives power back to communities.
He said: “While trading standards officers strive to track down and prosecute rogue traders, community intervention is the first step in preventing detriment caused by doorstep crime.
“The Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Traders campaign highlights the impact community-spirit and the goodness of neighbours, friends and relatives can have in making Britain a safer place.”
Community champions can nominate themselves to help stop rogue doorstep traders by joining a Nominated Neighbour scheme, taking away the trader’s ability to contact the resident directly.
Elderly or vulnerable members of the community will be given a postcard for their door with their nominated neighbour’s contact details, informing cold-calling doorstep traders to speak with them on the resident’s behalf.
The campaign is a partnership between Moray Council’s trading standards section, the Trading Standards Institute, Citizens Advice and the National Trading Standards Board.
Douglas Ross, Moray Council’s planning and regulatory services committee chairman, said rogue traders bring misery to thousands of households and frequently target the elderly and most vulnerable members of our community.
He said: “Moray Council trading standards continues to take action against rogue traders, but preventing them from doing damage in the first place is crucial.
“I would encourage all Moray residents to be on the lookout for doorstep crime in their community to help stop neighbours falling foul of rogue traders.”