{"id":56699,"date":"2025-04-28T06:02:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T06:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56699\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T06:02:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T06:02:13","slug":"glasgow-man-scammed-out-of-3k-to-rogue-trader-capitalising-on-grenfell-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56699\/","title":{"rendered":"Glasgow man scammed out of \u00a33k to rogue trader capitalising on Grenfell disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

A MAN was scammed out of \u00a33000 by a rogue trader exploiting safety fears following the Grenfell Tower disaster.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The man from Glasgow, who wishes to remain anonymous, was approached by a cold caller claiming to work for a company contracted by Glasgow City Council<\/a> to carry out safety checks, Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) have revealed.<\/p>\n

After inspecting the electricity meter, the trader insisted his voltage levels were dangerously high and recommended installing a ‘voltage optimiser’ for \u00a33000.<\/p>\n

He linked the supposed risk to the Grenfell Tower fire which killed more than 70 people in north Kensington, London, in June 2017.<\/p>\n

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File photo dated 14\/07\/2017 of fire at Grenfell Tower in west London (Image: Natalie Oxford\/PA Wire) The man later became suspicious and asked a local electrician to check the device.<\/p>\n

The electrician confirmed the voltage was normal and the optimiser installed was worth less than \u00a3300.<\/p>\n

TSS has highlighted the incident as it published the findings of a poll showing almost half of Scots have been targeted by aggressive or misleading sales tactics.<\/p>\n

The ScotPulse survey of 1063 people revealed that 46% of respondents had encountered banned practices used by rogue traders.<\/p>\n

A third\u00a0said they were misled into completing a sale, but only one in five of those reported the incident to the authorities.<\/p>\n

The survey also found 31%\u00a0of Scots said their physical health, mental wellbeing, or both had been affected by misleading or aggressive sales tactics while only 28%\u00a0were aware\u00a0money could potentially be reclaimed from financial institutions after being misled.<\/p>\n

It comes as TSS launches a nationwide \u2018Know Your Rights\u2019 campaign to help Scots understand their protections and report scams and dishonest sellers.<\/p>\n

They are also encouraging people not to engage with cold callers and instead to seek reputable local traders.<\/p>\n

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Fiona Richardson, chief officer of Trading Standards Scotland, said: “It is shocking that so many people in Scotland are falling victim to misleading and aggressive sales tactics.<\/p>\n

“This poll shows the scale of the problem, with almost half of people experiencing this kind of appalling behaviour.<\/p>\n

“Traders who offer fake discounts or falsely claim extra work is needed are not just being dishonest \u2013 they are breaking the law.<\/p>\n

“The impact goes beyond financial loss. It causes stress and anxiety, particularly for older or more vulnerable people.<\/p>\n

“We urge consumers not to deal with cold callers. Instead, look for trusted local businesses through approved trader schemes backed by Trading Standards.<\/p>\n

“Always research a company before agreeing to any work. Online adverts can be misleading and reviews can be faked. Take your time. A pushy pitch is often a red flag.<\/p>\n

“It is vital that consumers feel confident standing up to these tactics and know there is help available.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 protects people from misleading or aggressive sales tactics, banning high-pressure selling and the withholding of important information.<\/p>\n

This includes false or confusing product details, fake discounts, or claims that unnecessary work is urgently needed.<\/p>\n

Anyone who feels misled or pressured can get support through Advice Direct Scotland at\u00a0www.consumeradvice.scot\u00a0or by calling 0808 164 6000.<\/p>\n

Victims of fraud should report it to Police Scotland<\/a> by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A MAN was scammed out of \u00a33000 by a rogue trader exploiting safety fears following the Grenfell Tower…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,29903,29902,918,10650,4884,29898,29901,29899,29900,712,29897,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-56699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-cold-caller","10":"tag-cold-callers","11":"tag-glasgow","12":"tag-glasgow-city-council","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-grenfell-tower","15":"tag-grenfell-tower-fire","16":"tag-rogue-trader","17":"tag-rogue-traders","18":"tag-scotland","19":"tag-trading-standards","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}