People affected by floods in Greater Manchester have been warned to watch out for scammers trying to pressure them into sharing personal details over the phone.
Peter Crossen, a councillor in Stockport who works in financial crime, received a call from an unfamiliar number yesterday from someone offering to do repairs at homes damaged by floods. He suspects the call was a scam and warned that others may feel pressured into sharing their information.
“I’m worried they are targeting the postcodes that have had floods and are trying to phone as many people in the SK7 area as they can,” he said.
“The last thing I want is someone losing thousands of pounds from flood damage to then lose thousands more to scammers.”
Mr Crossen traced the number and found that others had posted about it in local community groups – possibly indicating it was being used by scammers to make cold calls.
Using number searching tools online, the Manchester Evening News found the number that called Coun Crossen had been looked up more than 180 times in the last 24 hours.
A similar incident happened in October after flooding in Oxford last year when Oxfordshire County Council warned about rogue traders pressuring people into paying for repairs at homes with water damage.
Stockport council said scammers are “always on the lookout for opportunities,” and urged residents to “stay alert” when receiving cold calls. It encouraged residents never to agree to anything over the phone, give out personal or financial details, or feel pressured into making a decision.
Coun Jilly Julian, Stockport’s finances and resources lead, said: “Be cautious of unsolicited calls, even if the caller claims to represent a trusted organisation.
“Always verify their identity by contacting the company directly using official contact details from a reliable source, such as their official website or on previous documents from them. If in doubt, hang up immediately and avoid engaging with the caller further.”
The council also recommends blocking numbers from scammers and consider reporting it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on their website or by calling 0800 144 8848.
It added that residents can register their number with the Telephone Preference Service to reduce unsolicited calls.