Aberdeenshire Council is warning about a scam where individuals posing as council officers offer to mark roads for a reduced price.
Scammers have been targeting schools in Aberdeenshire recently. One headteacher was approached by a man dressed like a council roads employee. He told her that he had extra paint and his boss was offering it to the school at a cheap rate. Once the work was finished, the man presented the headteacher with a £400 bill minus VAT and details of a company whose website did not exist.
Another school was approached by an individual offering to paint lines in the car park at £5 a metre. The scammers also unsuccessfully targeted a third school but left because the headteacher was in a meeting.
Laurence Findlay, Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Education and Children’s Services, said
I would encourage any resident or business who is approached by individuals offering to undertake painting work at a reduced rate to check for identification or credentials that suggest the person you are speaking to is genuine. Undertake thorough research, which includes obtaining multiple quotes and seeking recommendations from friends and family.
If an offer sounds too good to be then it usually is. I would urge anyone who is suspicious about a trades person to report it to Trading Standards and Police Scotland. There are plenty of useful hints, tips and information available on the scams page on the Trading Standards section of the Aberdeenshire Council website and on the Aberdeenshire Trading Standards Facebook and Twitter accounts.
For information about how to avoid scams please visit the Aberdeenshire Trading Standards website or their Facebook page.
To register a consumer complaint you can call 0808 164 6000.
