Elderly and vulnerable residents of the South Tyneside area are being offered a text alert service to warn them about rogue traders and doorstep cons. Operated by the council’s Trading Standards team, over 100 vulnerable residents and their carers have already signed up to the scheme. Age Concern has commended the project as it acknowledges the fact that, though a large percentage of elderly people are mobile phone users, their needs are not often catered to via this medium.
To join up all residents need do is text the word ‘doorstep’ to a given number and they will receive regular warnings. Iain Malcolm, Deputy Leader of the Council and Chair of the Customer Services and E-Government Steering Group, said of the pilot scheme: “This is yet another way that we are increasing our services to crack-down on cowboy traders and make South Tyneside a safer place for people to live.”
Recently, the area has suffered a spate of doorstep scams, which have included people posing as social workers. In addition to the text service, residents with internet access can use the council’s website to report such incidents and check if rogue traders are operating in their area, while those without internet access or a mobile can still telephone the council’s contact centre for the relevant information.