It has come to the team’s attention that there are 2 scams that are doing the rounds at the moment and we know a number of people in Mandeville & Elm Farm have been contacted. We want to heighten awareness of these issues in case you receive a similar call, our hope is that these calls will not persist but to give you as much information as possible as to be forewarned is forearmed.
One scam begins with a phone call from the 'Water Board' asking the household not to flush the toilet and to use minimum water for 24 hours. The reason supposedly that locally an emergency repair is being undertaken. This phone call is followed up by someone calling again to say that the sewer is blocked, then charging the householder to clear this fictitious blockage, sometimes up to £400. If you have any concerns about your utilities or receive a call like this you can always hang up and call back on the official utility number available online, directory enquiries or a relevant bill. DO NOT ring back on the number that has just called you.
The second involves a phone call from the 'local doctors surgery' inviting you to come along for a health check. The validity of this call is rarely questioned because most people trust their own surgery and rightly so. An appointment date and time is agreed. On arrival at the local surgery the receptionist obviously has no knowledge of this arrangement. This is done in the hope that the property of the person phoned is left empty on
