0:00:02 > 0:00:06All across the UK, I'm glad to say people are fighting back against rip-off rogue traders,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09cold-calling conmen, you name it, they're fighting back!
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Well, we're all taking a stance against doorstep crime.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15We're also celebrating the work of award-winning police
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and Trading Standards teams from all over the UK.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22With your invaluable help, we've been busy spreading the message
0:00:22 > 0:00:24that these crooks have got to be stopped.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Today, we'll learn how a successful partnership
0:00:27 > 0:00:30between Trading Standards and police in Bristol
0:00:30 > 0:00:32brought a rogue roofer to justice.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36The politest way I could describe these people is as pond scum.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38They're manipulative, they're predatory.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41The family raising awareness of doorstep crime
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to protect others in the community
0:00:44 > 0:00:49after their mother was robbed of an unbelievable £270,000.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54If there's one positive that's come out of what happened,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57it's the fact that more people are reporting this type of crime.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Plus, the Midlands pensioner
0:01:00 > 0:01:04who was scammed not once, but twice by doorstep criminals,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07costing him £27,000.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09It's just so maddening that people...
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Here's someone who has already been abused
0:01:11 > 0:01:13and they're coming back for more.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Hello and welcome to the programme
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and let's get straight away to our first story.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24We're off to Bristol,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27to find out why it took the combined efforts of both police
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and Trading Standards to bring a local rogue to justice.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Over the past two years,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Somerset and Avon Police tell us that they've seen a 60% reduction
0:01:39 > 0:01:42in doorstep crime, thanks to the work of two groups.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45The Senior Citizens' Liaison Team works in the community
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and supports those who've been targeted by conmen.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51But today, we're looking at another group.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55This one aims to catch cold-calling crooks in the act.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57The Doorstep Crime Team was set up in 2009
0:01:57 > 0:02:01and it consists of Trading Standards officers and police officers.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It's fairly unique in that the Trading Standards officers
0:02:04 > 0:02:07are embedded with police and Trading Standards officers have access
0:02:07 > 0:02:11to all police systems for intelligence and that sort of thing.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14The Doorstep Crime Team has shown how effective
0:02:14 > 0:02:18joint working between police and Trading Standards can be.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20While the team is successful,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23they face challenges from rogues on their turf.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Detective Sergeant Will Thorpe knows all their rotten tricks.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29There are several cases ongoing at the moment.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31One particular method that's being used
0:02:31 > 0:02:34is in relation to roofing work.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38What happens in particular cases is that the person coming
0:02:38 > 0:02:41to the door will say that a small amount of work needs to be done,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45a down pipe or a section of guttering.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Once that person is there on the roof and doing some further work,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53the victim isn't able to see exactly what the state of their roof is
0:02:53 > 0:02:55or whether that work is necessary,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and then once one bit of work gets done,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01from there on in, it's quite easy to carry on telling the homeowner
0:03:01 > 0:03:03that they require further bits of work.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Roofing scams tend to be the most common
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and the most lucrative for rogues.
0:03:08 > 0:03:14Statistics show that only 10% of this sort of crime is reported
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and we can't do anything about it unless people tell us about it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21There you have it, the message is clear,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25if you fall victim to doorstep crime, for goodness sake, report it!
0:03:25 > 0:03:2976 year-old Bridget Davison is glad she raised the alarm
0:03:29 > 0:03:30back in 2010.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33At the time,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I was rather vulnerable because my husband had only died
0:03:36 > 0:03:38a couple of months before
0:03:38 > 0:03:44and it was very upsetting, as you can imagine,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and so obviously, I wasn't functioning on all cylinders.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51In this vulnerable state,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Bridget was all-too susceptible to a smooth-talking conman.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I was just coming back from shopping
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and I noticed a van parked outside my house
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and there was a man standing on the end of the drive,
0:04:04 > 0:04:10so as I approached, he said could he speak to me for a minute
0:04:10 > 0:04:15and would I like my guttering renewed?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18So he quoted me about £300,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22which I thought was a reasonable amount, so I agreed to have it done.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26The early stages of this particular scam followed a fairly standard
0:04:26 > 0:04:28MO for rogue trading offences.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30As the work was started,
0:04:30 > 0:04:36the boss of the contractors came to the victim
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and said that she then needed her roof cleaned.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41With the roof washed,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45the conman then offered a sealant for Bridget's roof tiles.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48He told her this was essential to the protection of the building.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He did not, by the way, quote a price.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55This man saw a vulnerable woman
0:04:55 > 0:04:59on her own, who obviously, I imagine, came across as
0:04:59 > 0:05:04not really thinking straight and thought,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07"Bingo. I can probably talk her into anything."
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Thankfully the family became aware of what was going on.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12They rang the police
0:05:12 > 0:05:14and the Doorstep Crime Team swung into action.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18They came the following day and were absolutely brilliant
0:05:18 > 0:05:22because the thing that had stopped Mum initially telling me
0:05:22 > 0:05:24was that she felt stupid.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27And the one thing the team didn't do at any time
0:05:27 > 0:05:29was make her feel stupid.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Will Thorpe and his team believe that it's essential
0:05:33 > 0:05:35to show sensitivity to the victims.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39The impact on the victims is huge -
0:05:39 > 0:05:43the financial implications of losing their life savings
0:05:43 > 0:05:45for work that's not required.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49And also what we find is the embarrassment that they feel,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52that they've been taken on a ride
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and they just feel hugely ashamed of doing that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Later we'll find out
0:05:57 > 0:06:00how the Doorstep Crime team came to Bridget's rescue.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Plus a watchful neighbour keeps an eye out for a Midlands pensioner
0:06:03 > 0:06:06who lost more than 20 grand to doorstep crooks.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10If you're the neighbour of someone who is vulnerable, keep checking.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Check that they're OK,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14check that no one has done anything of this sort.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23here's another example of doorstep crime.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27My mother was the victim of doorstep crime back in 2009.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31And my brother and I received an award in 2010
0:06:31 > 0:06:34for recognition of our helping promote
0:06:34 > 0:06:37the campaign against doorstep crime
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and I'd like to share this with you.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Well, as you know, we do like a success story
0:06:43 > 0:06:44and when we looked into it,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48we found out the award was made by the Trading Standards Institute.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51There's a poignant element to this as well,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53because Helen and her brother David
0:06:53 > 0:06:55managed to turn a private family tragedy
0:06:55 > 0:06:58into something that helped their local community.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03This story reveals how devastating
0:07:03 > 0:07:06this kind of crime can be to a family.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08In 2009, 76 year-old Anne Cornock
0:07:08 > 0:07:13was admitted to hospital in South Wales with terminal cancer.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15As if this wasn't stressful enough for her loved ones,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19they soon heard news that was also harrowing.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21It makes you very, very angry
0:07:21 > 0:07:25because they basically destroyed the last year of her life.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29This is a lady who was hard-working, honest, kind,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33wouldn't hurt a fly, and these people persecuted her.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38And she ignored the early signs, the physical signs of her cancer,
0:07:38 > 0:07:43or contributed them to the stress caused by these people hounding her.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Helen's talking about the shocking discovery
0:07:45 > 0:07:49that their mother had been the target of doorstep criminals.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Helen's brother David is a television reporter,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and he takes up his mum's story.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Our mother was in hospital
0:07:57 > 0:08:02and I was staying at her home with my family.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I discovered an opened letter from a bank that talked about an overdraft.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09This was a complete shock to us,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12not just because she had three pensions,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14we knew she had a comfortable income,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18but because an overdraft was so out of character
0:08:18 > 0:08:20for her to borrow money.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25And I sort of slept on it, and then I mentioned it to my wife
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and we thought we'd better mention it to my sister and we did.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Then we discovered that the reason she had one
0:08:32 > 0:08:36was because she'd been the victim of an awful scam.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Anne Cornock had been targeted by a ruthless gang
0:08:42 > 0:08:45who cold-called at her house to carry out work on her driveway.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49But they kept coming back, to extort money from her.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54She'd been subject to a barrage of visits.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Cold-callers, people chasing her for money.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01People ringing her all the time, people demanding money
0:09:01 > 0:09:06which she had handed over and they kept this delusion going
0:09:06 > 0:09:10that she'd overpaid for some work on her house, on her drive,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12and if she gave them some more money
0:09:12 > 0:09:15they would make sure they got it back.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It was all, it was all very sinister
0:09:17 > 0:09:22and it had been going on for 18 months. None of us knew about it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25She kept it totally to herself,
0:09:25 > 0:09:32and she was really too proud and embarrassed to tell anyone about it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Like many victims of doorstep crime,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Anne had chosen to keep these problems to herself,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39perhaps hoping they would go away.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Then David and Helen saw for themselves
0:09:41 > 0:09:45the real impact that the crime had had on her.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The day I had to go and tell her that my brother and I had found out,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50my mother was never the same person again.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56She was mortified, totally ashamed, and broke down on me.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59And...
0:10:01 > 0:10:04..she wasn't the same mother again, mentally.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Of course it was heart-breaking for Helen and David
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to discover that their mother had suffered in silence
0:10:10 > 0:10:13at the hands of doorstep criminals for 18 months.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17In that time, they extorted a staggering amount of money from her.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22My mother handed over a number of cash sums
0:10:22 > 0:10:28and they would typically be things like £5,000, £6,000, £4,000.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Looking at the dates, it seemed like almost every week
0:10:32 > 0:10:36she was handing out, this sort of money.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39That's shocking enough in itself, but David and his family discovered
0:10:39 > 0:10:42that the rogues hadn't stopped there.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46There were two bank transfers totalling £115,000.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Those were the biggest transfers.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52The money, my mother was told,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57was going to the contractor's accountant.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02That turned out to be false, but that was the biggest sum.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06There was another bankers draft for £20,000, but she ended up
0:11:06 > 0:11:11paying out £272,310
0:11:11 > 0:11:14which was more than her whole house was worth.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Just awful. More than £270,000, and for what?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The criminals had done nothing to Anne's house
0:11:21 > 0:11:24to warrant any form of payment, yet incredibly,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27they had taken virtually every penny she had.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30David and Helen brought in the police,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33but it was difficult for them to gather evidence,
0:11:33 > 0:11:34because Anne was so ill.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Detective Inspector Huw Thomas led the investigation.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40We actually interviewed her in hospital which was difficult
0:11:40 > 0:11:43for the family, it was difficult for everybody, really,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47because she was in such a poor state of health at the time
0:11:47 > 0:11:51that her recollection of events was quite poor.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54And therefore we never actually got beyond
0:11:54 > 0:11:57the people that the money got transferred to.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00But I'm certain there's more people out there than we've dealt with.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05The larger money transactions were made via Anne's bank,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07which meant the police were able to follow a paper trail,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09to one of the gang members
0:12:09 > 0:12:12From looking at the bank details
0:12:12 > 0:12:14and where the money transfers had gone to,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16we made some enquiries and we established
0:12:16 > 0:12:19that it had gone through the hands of a Sean White.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23As a result of our enquiries, then Sean White was arrested
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and subsequently dealt with for money laundering offences.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28On the 18th March 2010, Sean White was sentenced
0:12:28 > 0:12:31to two years imprisonment.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34The police also tracked down another member of the gang
0:12:34 > 0:12:38called Stephen George, who was given an eight month prison sentence.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42For the family, these sentences offered little consolation.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I don't think there'll ever be a sentence
0:12:44 > 0:12:47that would suit this for what they did to my mother.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50What I do feel for future cases is that the mental torture
0:12:50 > 0:12:52should be taken into consideration as well
0:12:52 > 0:12:56We were very heartened that the judge took it seriously
0:12:56 > 0:12:59from his comments. He was limited in what he could do
0:12:59 > 0:13:04in terms of sentencing, but it did send a signal
0:13:04 > 0:13:08that if you're involved in this sort of scam, and you get found out,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and you will be found out, you'll get sent to jail.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15The tragedy of what happened to Anne continues to be painful,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but Helen and David have raised awareness in the local community,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21in the hope that no other family should have to experience
0:13:21 > 0:13:24the same heartache that they've been through.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26The police and Trading Standards
0:13:26 > 0:13:30got in touch with us after the court case
0:13:30 > 0:13:34because they were concerned about this sort of crime
0:13:34 > 0:13:39and they wanted to highlight the dangers of it.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43They asked us if we could help with a campaign launch,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45which we were happy to do.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50We gave interviews and helped with the publicity for that,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53just to highlight the sort of scams that are going on,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and the way that they target people
0:13:55 > 0:13:58who you might not think are vulnerable,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02but clearly they're still managing to get away with it.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06In 2010, David and his sister Helen were awarded
0:14:06 > 0:14:09with a Trading Standards Institute Local Heroes Award,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12for their work in highlighting doorstep crime.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We received the nomination
0:14:15 > 0:14:18for David Cornock and Helen O'Neil in 2010.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23It came from the Welsh heads of Trading Standards.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And as soon as we read the nomination,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29we were just as impressed and inspired as they had been,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33just by what they had achieved in such a short period of time
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and how they had been able
0:14:35 > 0:14:39to put aside their personal grief and anger and frustration,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42following their mother's death,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and channel all that into helping others.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47So it really was an inspiring story
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and we wanted to recognise that with our Hero award.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52It was great that it was acknowledged
0:14:52 > 0:14:55that my brother and I had helped to raise awareness
0:14:55 > 0:14:57against doorstep crime,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01but bitter, however, because of what our mother had to endure,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04and we'd had to experience that first hand as a family.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I can truly understand how Helen feels.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Even so, Detective Inspector Thomas has noticed the big difference
0:15:12 > 0:15:13their publicity work has made
0:15:13 > 0:15:17in tackling doorstep crime in South Wales.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21If there's one positive that's come out of what happened to Mrs Cornock,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25it's the fact that more people are reporting this type of crime.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And it doesn't matter whether it's £200, £20,000
0:15:28 > 0:15:31or in this case £270,000.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33You're not wasting anybody's time.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36If you think that something suspicious is going on,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38please, please ring us.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42There's nothing more frustrating than knowing that stuff's going on
0:15:42 > 0:15:44but not being told about it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46If you see people acting suspiciously in the area
0:15:46 > 0:15:49or if you've just heard something about somebody having work done
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and they're not quite happy with it, give us a ring.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55If we can't help you, we'll certainly find somebody who can.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59It's incredible that David and Helen have been able to turn
0:15:59 > 0:16:01such a tragic sequence of events
0:16:01 > 0:16:04into something positive for their community.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Our deepest thanks go to them for sharing a very painful story.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It's a timely reminder that we must all look out for each other,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19and in particular, those in our community who need a helping hand.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Now, it's time to return to Bristol.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Earlier, we looked at the work of the Doorstep Crime Team,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31and the rogue roofer who tried to con 76 year-old Bridget Davison.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I felt that I'd been a bit of a sucker, really,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39to be persuaded into something
0:16:39 > 0:16:42that didn't really need doing,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and also to accept that they should do it
0:16:45 > 0:16:48without first of all getting a price.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Bridget had been recently bereaved. Now she felt trapped.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57The man who I had first spoken to outside
0:16:57 > 0:16:59came into the house.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03And he said to me that he'd got a very good deal
0:17:03 > 0:17:09on a spray for the roof which would protect it and seal it
0:17:09 > 0:17:14and that he'd noticed that I had quite a bit of moss on my roof tiles
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and that that didn't do them any good.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21No price had been quoted for this particular work,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23which was later found to be unnecessary.
0:17:24 > 0:17:30My brother turned up and did try and talk to the second-in-command
0:17:30 > 0:17:34'to get a price from him. This chap was very vague,'
0:17:34 > 0:17:37wouldn't really come up with anything concrete,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42but gave a vague price of about £4,000.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Yes, you heard right. £4,000!
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And when experts looked at what had been done,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50it clearly wasn't worth it.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54In this particular case, we commissioned a surveyor's report,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and he found that the work was not only completely worthless,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01but it may have actually led to damage to the roof as well.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03And, in fact, we were never able to establish
0:18:03 > 0:18:05the technical specifications
0:18:05 > 0:18:08of what product had allegedly been put on the roof.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Roofing cons are the most complained-about cold calling scams.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Victims stand to lose a small fortune.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17'The average cost is between £5,000 and £10,000.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19'When they discover that that work hasn't been done properly,'
0:18:19 > 0:18:24they feel foolish, and they won't come forward and report it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28What we generally find is that relatives come and contact us.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30'The cost is then even more significant'
0:18:30 > 0:18:33because they've got to repair completely valueless work.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Thankfully Bridget had not yet paid for this scam.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42The rogue had arranged to collect the money a few days later.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45The Doorstep Crime team quickly set up plain clothes officers,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48to catch the crook when he came back.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51That morning, we were waiting. And within a short time,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54around the time that he said he was going to come back,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57we saw him turn up and approach the lady's front doorstep.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Myself and my colleagues approached him,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and as I was walking down the driveway
0:19:03 > 0:19:06I identified myself to him as a police officer.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08At that particular point,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I remember the colour draining from his face. He was shocked.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Bridget dodged this crime, just in the nick of time.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20The Police and the Trading Standards people were very good, I thought.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Very thorough and quick
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and supportive of me in a vulnerable position.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The conman, Billy Brede,
0:19:30 > 0:19:35was convicted in March 2011 of two offences of unfair trading.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39He was given a fine and ordered to pay costs of more than £4,000.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45When we do get that sort of result from a case,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47it's extremely satisfying
0:19:47 > 0:19:49because we're taking rogue traders off the street
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and we're protecting members of the public at the same time.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54When the case came to court,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I felt very relieved that they had, erm...
0:19:59 > 0:20:04..caught him and that he wouldn't perhaps be able to con anybody else
0:20:04 > 0:20:08into having a job done that they didn't really need or want.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12The politest way I could describe these people is as pond scum.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14They're manipulative, they're predatory
0:20:14 > 0:20:19and they specifically target vulnerable, older people.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Mainly women, I imagine,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24but men could find themselves in the same situation.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26And the thing with that generation
0:20:26 > 0:20:29is that they don't feel they can be rude.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Well, you can be as rude as you like to these people.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34You don't owe them a thing. They're scum.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I couldn't have put it better myself!
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Your letters and e-mails have continued to really intrigue us.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Jane McDonald recalls a man knocking at her door
0:20:45 > 0:20:47and saying there were some slates loose on her roof.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50She said, "My brother-in-law's a builder.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54"I'll get him to take a look. Thanks for pointing it out."
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Apparently, he was still picking his jaw up from the floor
0:20:57 > 0:20:59as she shut the door promptly in his face.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02As it turned out, Jane's brother-in-law really was a builder,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06but later she realised the man could have been a con artist at the door,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and judging from his reaction,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10he wasn't expecting the answer she gave.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14So a polite but firm rebuttal seems to be a very good way
0:21:14 > 0:21:16of dealing with unwanted callers.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It certainly would have helped the man in our next story.
0:21:21 > 0:21:2487 year-old John Green was a well-known character
0:21:24 > 0:21:27in the West Midlands town where he'd lived for many years.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34He died in 2010, but his neighbour is keen to tell his story.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38He'd like to keep his identity private, so we'll call him Michael.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43John was always out and about. Everyone in the area knew him.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47He was just always on the lookout for how he could help.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I looked out for John, we looked out for John,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53but he also looked out for us. It was a mutual swap of support.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57On a December morning in 2009, two men appeared at John's door
0:21:57 > 0:22:00claiming to be from a roofing company.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03They were in fact a pair of doorstepping rogue builders.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Dean Anthony Madden was 42 at the time, and Mark Duggan was 44.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10They claimed that John's chimneys needed urgent repair.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Also, that new building regulations meant the lead flashing on his roof
0:22:15 > 0:22:17was now of the wrong width and would need replacing.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It was, of course, complete rubbish.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25The tactics Madden and Duggan used were scare tactics in a way.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Mr Green, who was a vulnerable,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'elderly man who lived by himself,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33'he's got no way of getting up on that roof'
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and checking whether the work needed doing.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42John agreed to the work at a staggering cost of £2,250,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46with a cash payment up front of £1,250.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50In typical rogue trader style, the gang started work on the roof right away,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53before John could even change his mind.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Luckily, watchful neighbour Michael saw that something was up.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I went to check what was happening and that's when he told me
0:23:00 > 0:23:04'that they were coming back to get more money from him.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07'I knew that it couldn't possibly be true and so I rang the police.'
0:23:07 > 0:23:10This local hero did the right thing,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12particularly as John had fallen victim
0:23:12 > 0:23:15to doorstepping criminals several times in the past.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We would say to him that if anyone knocks on the door
0:23:18 > 0:23:20'telling you need some work done
0:23:20 > 0:23:24'come to us or our other neighbours, come to anyone and check it out.'
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Let us check it out.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29We knew how vulnerable he was and we wanted to support him.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Now, thanks to Michael's phone call
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Mark Beesley and his Trading Standards team
0:23:33 > 0:23:35were ready and waiting with the police
0:23:35 > 0:23:38when the scammers came to call the following day.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44We saw the van drive up to the front of Mr Green's house.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Dean Madden knocked on the door
0:23:46 > 0:23:50and he was a bit surprised to see a police officer standing there.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Duggan and Madden were told to keep away from the house
0:23:53 > 0:23:56while a survey was carried out. And you've guessed it -
0:23:56 > 0:24:00the survey concluded that the work was quite unnecessary.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Well, thankfully Duggan and Madden were arrested
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and a court date was set.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08But the really upsetting thing about this particular case
0:24:08 > 0:24:11is that having already been subjected to one scam,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14John's good nature was about to be taken advantage of yet again,
0:24:14 > 0:24:20and believe it or not he was scammed out of a staggering £26,000!
0:24:20 > 0:24:23After the people were arrested John told me
0:24:23 > 0:24:28that two other people had come to his front door posing as officials
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and telling him that because he was the one who had reported
0:24:31 > 0:24:34'the matter to the police that he was responsible for paying
0:24:34 > 0:24:37'all of the court costs and they, over a period of time,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'took multiple thousands from him.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42'I don't know exactly how much it was, but it was a lot of money,'
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and again it's just so maddening that people...
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Here's someone who has already been abused
0:24:48 > 0:24:50and they're coming back for more.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It was a shocking revelation
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and coupled with Duggan and Madden's scam,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58it would ultimately prove just too much for poor John.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05There's no doubt in my mind that the stress and worry
0:25:05 > 0:25:10of a lengthy investigation had some kind of impact
0:25:10 > 0:25:14on Mr Green and his health.
0:25:14 > 0:25:21I think in the end John wasn't as concerned about the financial loss
0:25:21 > 0:25:27as the stress and embarrassment of being duped,
0:25:27 > 0:25:28having his trust broken.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31That mattered more to him than the actual money.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33John died in October 2010,
0:25:33 > 0:25:38so he wasn't able to see Duggan and Madden taken to court,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42where it transpired that the pair had also scammed an elderly woman
0:25:42 > 0:25:44out of almost £7,000.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49Dean Madden and Mark Duggan admitted conspiracy to defraud
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and were jailed for two years, eight months,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and two-and-a-half years respectively.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'This case highlights the importance'
0:25:55 > 0:26:00that neighbours, friends and families can have
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'in protecting the elderly in our society.'
0:26:03 > 0:26:06If you are the potential victim, tell someone
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but also if you're the neighbour of someone who is vulnerable,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11keep checking. Check that they're OK,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14check that no-one has done anything of this sort.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Many thanks, Michael, for sharing John's story with us
0:26:17 > 0:26:21and indeed for that very worthwhile advice.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Now before we go, time for Trish Marshall's note.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27She says that West Sussex Trading Standards
0:26:27 > 0:26:29give window stickers to its residents on request.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Then the stickers can be put on the front door
0:26:32 > 0:26:35to inform cold callers that they're simply unwelcome.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I think that's a great tip. Thank you for that, Trish.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40We'd love to hear more about how you've managed to stop
0:26:40 > 0:26:42doorstep crooks from ripping you off.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47bbc.co.uk is our website, and that's exactly where you can find
0:26:47 > 0:26:49all the details about how to get in touch with us.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51May I just say thank you for watching
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and clearly I hope you'll join us again next time. From us, bye-bye.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd