A growing number of consumers are being scammed out of thousands of pounds by rogue roofers – who are inventing non-existent problems, charging for phantom repairs and targeting people on their doorstep.
Suspected roofing scams were the top scam the Citizens Advice Consumer Service saw in the last year, making up 10% of goods or service complaints flagged as scams. These scams were part of almost 9,000 roofing-related complaints received by the Citizens Advice Consumer Service – equivalent to one every 13 minutes.
A shocking one in four of all the roofing complaints it received in the same period were suspected scams.
With advisers routinely helping consumers left thousands of pounds out of pocket, the charity is revealing its latest findings as part of its annual Scams Awareness campaign, which kicked off on 12th October.
Roofing work covers everything from construction to repairs and weatherproofing. Consumers reported ‘traders’ disappearing with their money, being tricked into paying for work not carried out, damage or issues being invented, aggressive sales tactics, demands for payment which left them feeling intimidated and being grossly overcharged.
The charity found fraudsters used doorstep sales tactics in a staggering three quarters (77%) of suspected roofing scams, making it the most common method deployed to catch homeowners out.
If you need work doing to your home take your time to find a genuine trader and don’t feel pressured into accepting the first quote.
