West Lothian Council have warned residents to beware of rogue traders calling at doors.
The council said online that they had a few reports last week about traders in areas of West Lothian claiming to be affiliated with West Lothian Council for things like roof replacements.
They advise that anyone with any concerns should contact the police on 101 and highlighted some advice from Trading Standards Scotland (TST).
TST say that the most common types of work that doorstep scammers carry out are roofing, driveways and gardening and they mainly operate during the summer months.
They say that there are a number of steps people can take to make themselves more safe.
A spokesperson said: “To prevent scammers knocking on your door, you can request a No Cold Calling sticker from your local Trading Standards office or from Trading Standards Scotland. If an uninvited trader ignores the sticker, they may be committing an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
“You can also sign up to the Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alert system to receive timely alerts about local crime prevention and safety issues from partners such as Police Scotland. If there are known rogue traders in your area, you will be alerted. Sign up through the Neighbourhood Watch Scotland website.
£Never feel pressured into making a decision on the spot. Any legitimate trader will be happy to return at a later date – you may want to ask a friend, neighbour or relative to be with you when they call back to give a second opinion.
“Never agree to a trader starting work straight away and never hand over any money without seeing proper paperwork and making sure that you understand the terms and conditions, including cancellation rights.
“Before agreeing to have any work done by an uninvited trader, follow our 5 Scam Share Signposts: Close the door on uninvited callers. Don’t feel obliged to answer the door to a cold caller – it is your home and you should not let anyone in unless you feel comfortable.”
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