A WARNING has been sounded to householders to be wary of ‘doorstep’ sellers on the look-out for easy pickings.
The alert from Trading Standards chiefs in Middlesbrough follows after a complaint from a resident who was called at home by a man trying to sell kitchen cloths, sponges and cleaning products.
The man claimed he had been told by the Department for Work and Pensions that he had to sell the goods in order to show his motivation to get a job, and the DWP had supplied him with the stock.
Environmental Health and Trading Standards manager Judith Hedgley said: “We regularly receive complaints from around the country about Middlesbrough-based doorstep sellers making various false claims to support their business.
“Some of these claims concern approval by a public body such as the Council or the probation service and we have successfully prosecuted the individuals concerned.
“Other claims try to play on the sympathy of the buyer, such as this case or even suggesting that they will only be given lunch if they make a minimum number of sales.
“In reality the goods are probably bought in volume from a low-cost retailer and are being sold at a massive mark-up in price.
“There have also been some suggestions that the activity is used to research targets for more serious criminality such as burglary at a later date or to identify potential rogue trading victims.”
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “We do not participate in any door-to-door selling schemes and do not require job seekers to adopt such an approach.”
If you are called by any of these contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.