Doorstep scammers: tips for protecting yourself and elderly parents

Sarah Coles of Hargreaves Lansdown presents some simple ways to keep out cowboy traders, fake charity collectors and con artists.

Why the elderly are at risk

Are you worried about doorstep scammers, or have elderly parents you believe may be at risk?

Older people are often home on their own for much of the day. More than two million live alone, and one million say they can go a month without speaking to anyone else in person.

Unfortunately, this makes them particularly vulnerable to scammers knocking on their door: according to Age UK, people over the age of 65 make up 85% of victims.

Doorstep scams account for around 5% of all cons in the UK, but they come in a number of guises. It’s worth talking your elderly parents through them all, so they know about the potential risk.

Read more from Sarah Coles: what to do if a parent is struggling with finances

Cowboy builders

They may knock on the door saying they are in the area and offering their services.

One classic is that workers will say they have some tarmac left over from a nearby job and they can do your drive at a knock-down price. Often there has been no job nearby, the Tarmac is of very poor quality, it’s laid poorly, and it’s no cheaper than getting a reputable professional to do the job.

Alternatively, they might claim they have spotted a serious problem with your home and urge you to let them cure it before it gets worse. The more alarming their story sounds, the more you can be confident it’s a scam: they are trying to terrify you into signing up to their ‘services’.

If you agree to the work, they may do nothing at all, they may do a terrible job that makes things worse, and they will always overcharge you for it.

Bogus salespeople

They will knock on the door and try to sell you something. They include door-door sellers who claim to be part of a Government scheme (as was recently the case with solar panels) and sell a variety of things at inflated prices.

They also include people who claim to be signing you up for a product or services. They may ask for a deposit or payment to secure a special offer that’s only available on the day – this is designed to force you into a snap decision without giving you a chance to shop around and discover a better deal elsewhere.

Alternatively, they may ask you to complete a form with enough information for them to steal your ID or access your bank account, and you will never hear from them again.

Read more: what to do if you've been the victim of identity fraud

Fake charities

Some people will claim to be collecting for charity and may have official-looking ID and collecting tins, but they are simply taking the money and running.

You can check their ID and proof they are collecting for the charity, and you can check their Charities Commission registration details by looking it up online.

However, by far the easiest approach is to choose who to donate to in your own time, set up direct debits to causes you really care about, and refuse any collectors on the doorstep.

Bogus officials

Someone with a uniform and an official-looking ID badge will knock on the door and say they need to read the meter.

In reality, it’s all fake, and they will use the opportunity to steal from you or get you to reveal information they can use to commit ID fraud.

Hard luck stories

They will show up on your doorstep with a reason to come in – from needing a glass of water to losing a dog or a football in your garden.

While you’re distracted, they will take the opportunity to steal your valuables.

You don’t have to be rude, just don’t give them money or let them in. If they want a glass of water, leave them on the doorstep and close the door while you fetch it.

How you can protect your elderly parents

It’s useful to know the risks, but some scammers are incredibly convincing - even when you know what to look for.

If you think your parents are particularly vulnerable, you can also take steps to keep them safe.

Call their utilities provider and set up a password that anyone claiming to be from the company will have to use. This means whenever someone calls to read the meter, they can just ask for the password.

You should also talk to a neighbour about the situation. It’s great to have a trusted neighbour or friend on standby, who your parents can call if they have a suspicious caller on the doorstep. If they don't know anyone locally well enough, get in touch with the neighbourhood watch scheme and find out if they can help.

Get a door chain, so your parents can always open the door on a chain. That way, if they feel uncomfortable about the uninvited visitor, it’s much easier to shut the door.

Finally, put up two signs. The first is a sign on the door – facing outwards - saying uninvited callers are unwelcome. The second is a list of rules to put on the inside of the door –facing inwards - so your mum can easily see it.

1. If they want to read the meter, ask for the password
2. Don’t let anyone in without an appointment
3. Never agree to work on the doorstep
4. Never sign anything on the doorstep
5. Don’t believe scare stories about your property
6. Don’t fall for ‘special offers’ – they’re not as good as they seem
7. If they won’t go away, call a friend, relative or the police on 101. If you feel unsafe dial 999.

Turning people away empty-handed may make your parents feel like they're being rude, especially when they use high-pressure tactics that make it particularly difficult to say no or to close the door. 

However, this is exactly what the scammers are banking on: they take advantage of people who are too polite to turn them away. It might pay to remind your parents that given that the scammer has shown up uninvited, with the sole aim of cheating them, normal rules on politeness are automatically suspended: and they have has every right to say no, be firm, and close the door.

Sarah Coles is a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of loveMONEY.