A RETIRED plumber, drainer and gasfitter living in a block of units in Wauchope has seen off a pair of travelling conmen who tried to convince his fellow residents to pay for roof cleaning and repairs.
Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe commended the swift actions of the man and warned residents not to deal with unlicensed traders.
Mr Stowe said travelling conmen often targeted older people and the unit block in Wauchope was mainly inhabited by retired owners and residents.
“The scam-smart resident reported that a young and well-dressed man approached unit owners, telling them he was conducting a survey for the local council about house insurance and roof repair claims,” Mr Stowe said.
“He questioned the veracity of the claims and the fact that any council would be undertaking such a survey.
“A couple of days later another man of solid build and wearing rubber boots attended the unit block and prepared to do some work. He reportedly placed a ladder up against the building but the ladder was upside down and around the wrong way.
“When the scam-smart resident questioned him about the whereabouts of his vehicle, the man said it was ‘up the street’ and he didn’t want to bring it onto the premises.”
Mr Stowe said the resident then questioned the man about his credentials and told him in no uncertain terms to leave the building.
“The resident reported the incident to the local council and provided the council with a business card the men had given residents,” he said.
“The resident also reported the matter to Fair Trading and that the card had no licence number.”
Mr Stowe said Fair Trading had contacted the local council and the company whose name appeared on the business card and established they had no tradesmen working in the area.
Mr Stowe has also issued a warning about conmen with Irish or English accents heading south along the coast seeking bitumen-laying work.
Mr Stowe said the agency had been told one of the men is described as being in his forties with a goatee beard.
“They are approaching consumers and seeking work, providing the usual story that they have been working nearby and have leftover bitumen and can offer a good deal,” he said.
“We believe this is a group of conmen who were previously working in south-east Queensland.
“They are driving a Hino truck and a Great Wall utility with Queensland number plates.”
Mr Stowe said travelling conmen continued to be a scourge on the community.
He encouraged anyone with any information about them or anyone who had been approached by them to call the national travelling conmen hotline on 1300 133 408.
“Don’t deal with these people,” he warned.
“They are not legitimate tradespeople and any work they do will be sub-standard, if completed at all.”
