Water Scam?

So just before bed, the Mrs turns to me last night with the words "Oh, I think we might have a problem."

Turns out whilst I was at work yesterday, and she was trying to get the lil lad to sleep, two guys came a knocking on the door. She was a bit flustered having to deal with our lil one whilst doing stuff & answering the door. Apparently they were wearing high-vis vests, said they were from Welsh Water and were testing the drains, could they go round the back?

As she was flustered, she just told them to go ahead, the side gate was open, and so they did. Jug of water in hand. Apparently they lifted the manhole cover we have in the back garden, had a fiddle around, and left.

After they left, the Mrs noticed that the metal shed (where the SV is usually parked) was left with the padlock half off (I know it wasn't left like this when I left for work, but it also wasn't locked, it just looked like it was to a casual glance), and a few other oddities in & around the back garden.

Today, she's going to call Welsh Water to try & confirm if they have indeed been sending folks out to test/survey drains, and ask the neighbours if they had the same visit.

Personally, I'm working on the assumption that they were casing the place to come back & pay a visit when we're not home. On that basis, my friend (who happens to own a Security Consultancy company) is fitting an alarm to my house as we speak. Since he's a friend it's a good system that I've asked him to put in, daylight cameras, night cameras, PIRs, magentic trip sensors, proximity keyfobs with panic etc etc. Over the weekend this will be linked via serial (RS232C for the geek contingent) to a GSM module, and the t'Inter-web (meaning I can then control the alarm/see the f*****s live) and I'll be laying down some QTC to act as perimeter triggers.

So, from next week, I'll be living in Fort Knox, but that's better than the bar stewards having off with the SV, or worse, getting into the house.

Just figured I'd let you folks of the .org know about the potential scam, and the moral I suppose is to always ALWAYS ask for ID if a contractor is on your property without you previously requesting them.

Originally Posted by Baph

always ALWAYS ask for ID if a contractor is on your property without you previously requesting them.

Great advice that sometimes get overlooked in the heat of the moments.

Contractors, utility comapanies, council officials... etc will have ID and really won't mind waiting a moment or two whilst you phone in to confirm that they're bona-fide.

Having been impersonated by a couple of crooks a few years ago (yeah, really - they gave my name and job title!) I'm very wary of this and I'm always amazed how few peeps ask me for my id. Sometimes I remind them that they should have asked, particularly at night.

Not that i look shifty, or owt...........

Originally Posted by Jabba

Contractors, utility comapanies, council officials... etc will have ID and really won't mind waiting a moment or two whilst you phone in to confirm that they're bona-fide.

That in itself can be taken with a pinch of salt IMO. Never rely on the person you've got on your doorstep to provide the phone number. 0845 numbers are to be had cheaply, and can be re-directed anywhere, including a nearby van via mobile phone.

Sorry, do I seem paranoid...

I dont get it with these scams.

If anyone ever visits my house they need a good reason to get me to talk to them. If I need a water bloke I will ring them, if I need an electrician I will ring one.

If a pikey bloke in a white van tells me my roof needs reroofing or my drive needs tarmacing I dont listen to him.

The same as when I get an email telling me I won the lottery in Holland. That rarely happens if you never buy a lottery ticket

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Baph

That in itself can be taken with a pinch of salt IMO. Never rely on the person you've got on your doorstep to provide the phone number. 0845 numbers are to be had cheaply, and can be re-directed anywhere, including a nearby van via mobile phone.

Sorry, do I seem paranoid...

Nope - not paranoid - I work for a company that does 0845 numbers (and any other number type you may ever need)

There is a beautiful VoIP scam to phish for bank details.

You recieve an email from your bank about your account details needing to be validated, but instead of an website it invites you to call an 0800 number.

You call that number which goes to an VoIP server which then forwards the call to the banks proper helpdesk.

They then record the call, which may or may not result in them getting enough details.

Classic man-in-the-middle attack.

My general phishing advice stands - only contact your bank/whatever through channels that you have already established, or are verifyable.

David

Originally Posted by Baph

Sorry, do I seem paranoid...

I think in this case you are right to be.


My employer has a normal land-line, non-0845, number for the main switchboard and my own direct-dial number is on the business card.

In any doubt then don't let 'em in and ask that they make an appointment to come back*.


* not in all cases......I have a statutory right of entry under certain circumstances and it's an offence to obstruct me in the course of my work. However, this is not true of utility companies; whilst they have a right to inspect their property (meters, etc) they have to do so at reasonable times and by appointment if necessary.

[glade]

hmmm what genuine reason would they have for checking your drains??

I used to work for a civil engineering consultancy and we had to check people's drains for water infiltration so we could design the waste water networks properly. However if you're on an existing mains system i can't see why they'd need to come and check it.

ususally a blocked up ****-pipe is the land owners responsibility, and the utilities companies wouldn't be interested in your connection.

We get it around here occasionaly, where someone has tapped into the wrong line.. i.e. sewage into storm water.. so to find the culprite, they do drain checks by putting dye down various drains.... but last time I checked, they have to notify you in advance of doing that, as they require access to your property...

These scams are increasing in both number and sophistication. I run the Nieghbourhood Watch for our area and there have been several this year.

The obvious advice is don't let anyone on your property that you don't know or have verified ID independantly. Amazing how easy it is to be fooled into forgetting this by a smile and some slick talk.

Cheers Keith

I work for the Electric company and although I'm not on call anymore (promotion into the office) I have probably only been asked for my ID a handful of times, and even then it was only by security guards at gates and never by the elderly I would make a point of showing my ID card if was out of office hours but most people would've happy let me in to check their meter.
We do have a right of access under the wayleave agreement and can go onto someones land if there is a safety issue on a fault without asking, eg 11kV wire on the floor, but its common courtesy to ask first (unless of course its 3am and the customer is asleep - even then they still call the police sometimes and they take half an hour to come and don't really seem to care).

Baph, it sounds like a definite scam to me. Call the water board to verify and only ever use the number in the phone book or on your bill. They had no need to go in your shed so why would they unless they are scoping the place?

Good luck - hope the f****** never come back.