The Council received reports of a cold caller (who was part of a travelling team visiting local villages) operating in Woodbastwick and Panxworth recently. The male was described as white, in 20s-early thirties with short, light coloured hair, carrying a bag of dusters/cloths etc which he was trying to sell, claiming to be an ex-prisoner. There were reports that his style was forceful and became abusive if he was politely told “no”.
Please be assured, this has been reported to Norfolk Police and to Trading Standards via CAB. Trading Standards have given us the following advice, should this (thankfully) rare occurrence happen again:
- Call 999 and report this as it is happening – it is the police who issue and enforce Pedlar’s Licences which should be carried by any individual bringing goods to your door for sale. This Licence/Certificate means a seller has been registered and is allowed to operate in the area on the given days. Failure to produce a Pedlars Licence means their operations are illegal and they can be arrested and fined for their actions.
- If you do not feel able to call 999, please call 101 to report as soon as you’re able to.
- Please advise others of the scam by visiting Action Fraud Action Fraud, Friends Against Scams Friends Against Scams – National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team initiative protecting and preventing people from becoming victims of scams or Citizen’s Advice via their online report Consumer query (datamotion.com)
- Report to Citizens Advice by calling 0808 223 1133 (freephone) or Norfolk Scam Protection Service 0300 303 3706
How to Prevent this
You can prevent cold callers by placing a “No cold caller” sticker in your door/window – these are provided by Norfolk Police but we have a small amount held by the Council which you can get free of charge. Please leave a message on 01692 536056 or email [email protected] with your address and we will deliver to you.
You can also register for scam awareness emails via Norfolk County Council Consumer scam alerts – Norfolk County Council
Please keep safe and don’t hesitate to ring 999 or 101 if you feel uneasy about a caller at your door.