Distraction burglary, also known as bogus callers, is the term for when people come to your door on the premise that they have a legitimate reason to be there in order to gain access to your home for the purpose of theft. One of the most common aliases that they assume is tradesperson, and that includes plumbers.
We want you to be able to verify that our engineer who calls is genuine and how to tell the difference between a bogus caller and us.
All genuine tradespeople will carry some kind of official identification. All our engineers carry photo ID and will be more than happy to show it to you. You should always ask to see the ID of anyone who comes to your house and claims to need to come in, whether you’re expecting them or not. Genuine people will not be offended to be asked for it or if you close the door while you check it properly. If you are at all unsure you should call the company they claim to be from but find the number yourself; if it’s a fake ID they may well have someone on the other end of any number on their ID for the purpose of verification.
If you are not expecting someone to come to your house then this should raise a red flag. We would never turn up without pre-arranging to come plus we will always give you a call around 30 minutes before attending. Some trades may have a plausible reason for turning up unannounced, perhaps if there was a gas or water leak, so they could potentially be genuine but we would strongly advise thorough checking of their ID and telephone verification of the company before you allow them anywhere on your property.
If you are in rented accommodation, the caller could claim that the appointment has been arranged with your landlord but this should not happen. Your landlord has an obligation to give you proper notice of anyone coming into the property.
Engineers from any reputable organisation should be in some kind of branded uniform and they are likely to be in a branded van. If they are not, then question why. Even if they are, that does not necessarily mean that they are who they say they are so still conduct a thorough check. We directly employ all our engineers and they will always be in uniform and in a Plumbcare.com van.
A common MO of a distraction burglary is to distract you at the front door while someone else sneaks in at the back. Ensure all other access is secure before you answer the door. It’s actually good practice to keep all doors locked, even when you’re in the house.
Bogus callers will often target people they believe to be more vulnerable such as older people or those who live alone so if you have concerns about anyone, please make sure they know what to do. You can read more about distraction burglary here.
To reassure you further, all our engineers are qualified in their specific field, experienced and regularly assessed. If you would like to book an appointment for a routine service or emergency, call us on 0333 577 0151 or send us a message using the enquiry form to the right.
Complete the form below and one of the Plumbcare.com team will get back to you as soon as possible.
