Scammers are everywhere. They clog up our inboxes and try to get hold of our details any way they can, but we don’t expect them to walk straight into our homes…
Sadly, that’s exactly what happened to one woman, who opened her door to a man posing as a bailiff in December. The imposter told the woman that he was there to seize goods from her house to the value of £2000, as a result of her having an outstanding debt.
Unsure as to what debt he was referring, she asked if it was on her credit card. The fake bailiff confirmed this, but when she quizzed him further, due to the fact she only owed £500 or so on her credit card, the man said he couldn’t waste any more time and pressed her again for entry.
The story doesn’t end there unfortunately, as the woman eventually let the man into her home, through fear of further escalating fees. It’s also true that he had become aggressive and had started to shout by this point, no doubt intimidating the woman.
He lied again, saying that he was legally entitled to enter the house to remove goods and that the bill could be increased by £1500 if he was prevented from doing so.
So, what happened?
Well, as we’ve already said, the woman eventually let the man in, who went on to remove all of her major electrical devices and several items of jewellery.
A phone call to her credit card company was the moment it dawned on her, she hadn’t been visited by a bailiff at all, she had been scammed and robbed.
If you’re ever in doubt, and don’t want to end up on the receiving end of a similar scam, here are some words of advice from #TeamCES:
- Don’t let them in, unless you’re able to see ID. Speak to them through the letterbox, if you have to.
- Once you’ve seen the ID, ask for details of the debt.
- If either ID or details of the debt are refused, contact the Police.
- Bailiffs have strict rules to stick to, including not being rude or aggressive. If they behave in this way, it should be a red flag.
It sounds hard to believe, that someone could be so bold as to walk up to an address and pretend to be a bailiff, but this isn’t the first time this has happened.
We sympathise with the woman in this case, and anyone else who is similarly affected.
Please, always check and double check. Scammers really are everywhere.
Properly Certificated Enforcement Officers do things by the book.
