Organised crime groups are playing an increased role in doorstep crime and other scams, according to the annual Consumer Harm Report published by National Trading Standards.
These gangs frequently target vulnerable young men from deprived areas – such as those with alcohol and drug dependencies, people who are unemployed, homeless people and immigrants – to carry out substandard house ‘improvements’ and unnecessary repairs on people’s properties. Victims of the scams are often in vulnerable situations themselves – doorstep criminals tend to target residents living alone, with an illness or a disability.
The most recent estimates from the National Crime Agency have identified at least 181,000 people involved in serious and organised crime in the UK – more than twice the strength of the regular British Army. Recent high-profile cases have illustrated the dangerous approaches sometimes taken by criminal gangs to smuggle immigrant workers into the country. The numbers are thought to be growing, while referrals of potential victims of modern slavery increased by 36% in 2018 compared with the year before – a rise of more than 80% since 2016.1
Meanwhile, financial losses from fraud soared by 32% between April and September 2018, and the use of modern slavery is increasingly being seen by trading standards officers investigating crimes against householders and consumers. Shoddy and sometimes dangerously unsafe maintenance and improvement work is carried out by enslaved labourers while unsuspecting householders are bullied into paying hugely inflated prices, often losing their life savings in the process.
Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards said:
“National Trading Standards investigators work every day with limited resources to protect consumers from criminals, including fraudsters, counterfeiters and gang-leaders. The doorstep scammer is not a lovable rogue. Often behind the person who turns up at your door offering cut-price services is a serious criminal. Not only are they happy to rip off older people, those living on their own, and indeed anyone who is taken in by their patter, but they may also be exploiting and even enslaving vulnerable people to help them carry out their crimes.
“Consumers need to be vigilant to old scams wrapped in 21st century packaging and to ruthless criminals who will stop at nothing in pursuit of ill-gotten riches. The international nature of organised crime means trading standards officers must work closely with domestic and international partners to disrupt these operations.
“Most importantly, we urge communities to be vigilant and report any suspected scams to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.”
The National Crime Agency leads on serious and organised crime within the UK, but more cross cutting issues are straying into the Trading Standards world.
Adam Thompson, head of the NCA’s Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Unit, said:
“The types of labour exploitation referenced in this report are often hidden in plain sight, and we need thepublic to recognise the signs and report their suspicions.
“Victims may show signs of physical or psychological abuse, look malnourished or unkempt, and have few or no personal effects. They may appear to be under the control or influence of others, rarely being allowed to travel on their own. This includes transport to and from the workplace, where they may work long hours with inadequate personal protection equipment.
“I would also appeal to people to think about the consumer choices they are making to ensure they don’t inadvertently contribute to the problem. If the cost of a particular service seems unusually low, they need to ask themselves why that might be and look beyond the price.
“We welcome the fact that Trading Standards are helping to draw attention to this issue, and recognise the part they can play in helping law enforcement combat modern slavery.”
