Scams and bogus callers

We sometimes write to you to let you know of upcoming planned maintenance work, repair visits and safety checks to keep your home in good repair and to keep you safe.

Some tenants have told us that disrepair claims management companies pretending to be Progress Housing Group or working on our behalf may write to you or cold call at your home.

These companies pretend to be us to gain access to your property or to pressure you to sign legal instructions that may cost you money.  

It can be difficult to tell what a genuine letter from us is. The checklist below can help you tell if you receive a letter about a repair or a survey that is genuine.

Your checklist

1. Is the letter printed on Progress Housing Group headed paper? It should look like this

2. Has someone working for Progress Housing Group signed off?

3.  Does the letter have our registered office telephone number and address?

4. Does the letter have our official trading statements on the back?

5. Is there an option for you to request the letter in another format or language?

All our letters are printed with the information, as listed above. If you are still not sure, please get in touch with us on 0333 320 4555, and we will confirm if a letter is genuine. You can also contact us via live web chat on our website, (Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm).

Keep safe from scammers

• Always think twice before responding to a letter. If a company writes to you and ask for information you are not happy to provide, or they cannot validate who they are, do not supply them with the information.
• Be vigilant and always ask to see Progress Housing Group ID if anyone calls at your home. Don’t let anyone into your home if you are not sure.
• If a company writes to you who you have not dealt with before, question how they got your details.
• Contact Royal Mail if you've received scam mail and send it to them with a covering letter. Alternatively, you can send it to us or hand it in. If you are worried about bogus cold callers and online safety, we have more information.
•  If you'd like more information about scams or would like to report a scam, contact Action Fraud.

We have recently become aware of several disrepair claims management companies who are cold calling at our tenants’ homes and misrepresenting themselves as employees of Progress Housing Group. They may:

• Ask about any repair issues in your home
• Encourage you to sign a form that they suggest will speed up the repairs and require us to pay you compensation.

If you receive an unexpected cold call at your home:

• Stop and think: Have we made an appointment with you? We would never turn up at your home without a pre-arranged appointment
• Double-check the person's ID before you let someone into your home
• Are they who they say they are? It’s okay to close the door. Only criminals or fraudsters will try to rush or panic you
• Contact us immediately if you think you’ve been targeted or if you have any concerns
• Call the police if you feel scared or threatened
• Talk to us before you sign any documents.

Call the police if you feel scared or threatened.

Watch this helpful video from Mike and Danny, operatives from our Property Services Team.

Make sure that you check the credentials of our employees who are visiting your home and if you are in doubt, contact us on 0333 320 4555 to make sure they are who they say they are before letting them into your property.

If you receive a telephone call from someone saying they are from Progress Housing Group or one of our subsidiary companies, asking for financial or other personal information, we would advise that you offer to call the person back. 

Then call us on 0333 320 4555 to ensure you speak to one of our customer service operatives. Make them aware of the instance, and if it is a genuine enquiry, they can carry on with the request or put you through to the relevant person. If it is a fraudulent call, they will escalate this and pass your details to our Data Protection Team, who will deal with the issue.

As the rising cost of living impacts us all, it is important to be aware of scammers looking to take advantage.

Here are a few examples of scams going around:

Cost of living payments

Beware of texts asking you to claim or apply for the cost of living help - payments are automatic.

Such texts may say they are from Gov.org or DWP. You DON'T need to apply or do anything else to claim the payment, which is initially worth £326. If you're eligible, you'll automatically receive the money straight into your bank account.

NOTE - If you haven’t received your DWP Cost of Living Payment, you can report a missing payment online at Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - this link is legitimate.

Universal Credit

Scammers doorstep cold call or stand outside Jobcentre Plus offices, offering a government grant or ‘low-cost government loans for a small fee.’

They get enough information to make an initial Universal Credit claim and request an advance payment. You then have to repay the loan you never had. Those affected have reported being approached by well-dressed individuals, carrying what looks like official ID.

Energy bills

There has been a rise in scammers claiming to be from one of the ‘big six’ energy companies, as well as Ofgem. They send emails, using official logos, claiming you have overpaid for your energy and asking you to fill out a form with personal and financial information for a refund. People are being warned about emails from info@rebate-ogem.com asking for the same thing.

There are also fake text messages claiming to be from GOVUK, with a scam link to energy.bill-rebate.com.

Council Tax 

Scammers, pretending to work for your local council, call up, saying you have overpaid your Council Tax and offer a refund.

The scammer then requests bank details with the promise of a refund for the alleged overpayment but instead steals your savings.

Remember - the council will never ring you up to ask for your bank details.

Household Support Fund

Scammers claiming to be from your local councils are phoning people to say they are eligible for the Household Support Fund and ask for bank details. Councils would not phone people to request this information.

We understand you may be tempted to borrow money from other people to help pay your bills.

But you should avoid borrowing money from an illegal money lender, or loan shark, because they charge very high interest rates and often use threats of violence to get more money.

This is why we are working with Stop Loan Sharks to raise awareness and provide support.

What are loan sharks?

Remember loan sharks often:

•offer you a cash loan but do not give you any paperwork

•take your benefit or bank card as security on the loan

•don’t tell you when you will finish paying

•increase the amount you owe even if you are making regular payments

•threaten or use violence to get money from you.

How to check a lender is legitimate

Anyone lending money must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

If a lender isn’t listed as having authorisation to lend money, don’t borrow money from them and don’t let them come into your home.

·       Stop Loan Sharks investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides emotional and practical support to anyone who has borrowed from a loan shark.

Call Stop Loan Sharks 24/7 on 0300 555 2222 or start a Live Chat via their website www.stoploansharks.co.uk/ This service is available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

You can also text Stop Loan Sharks on: 07860022116 or email: reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk

Ensure websites asking for information are secure by using HTTPS:// at the beginning of the website address and have the padlock logo within your browser's address bar.

Make sure you use a strong password. A strong password uses upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, is at least 15 characters long and isn't your name or a word from the dictionary.

If you want more advice on keeping yourself safe online, please visit www.getsafeonline.org. Get Safe Online is a public and private sector partnership supported by the government and leading organisations in banking, retail, internet security and other sectors.

General tips

• If a company calls, you always question the validity of their requests, whether it’s a company you use or not. If they ask for information you are not happy to provide, or they cannot validate who they are, do not supply them with the information
• If the caller makes out to be from a company you deal with, call them back on a known number, the company has previously supplied. Do not rely on a phone number given by the caller
• If it’s a company you have not dealt with, question how they have got your details
• If companies are contacting you for marketing purposes, it is your right to request that they do not contact you for marketing purposes in the future
• Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or Mailing Preference Service (MPS) to help prevent marketing through these methods
• Ensure websites you visit asking for personal information use the HTTPS:// prefix in their address, and the padlock icon appears in the address bar of your browser
• Always use a secure password for websites. Make them long, and mixed characters (letters, numbers, non-alphabetic characters (e.g. #,?,$) and spaces). Vary your passwords across websites and services
• Be cautious opening links in emails from addresses you do not know or recognise or even from addresses you know but where the link looks suspicious.

A rogue trader or bogus caller may call uninvited to your home with the intention of tricking you into letting them in so that they can steal or persuade you to hand over money for a product or service you don't need or at an inflated price. Older adults in particular are at risk. For more information visit: Doorstep crime - Lancashire County Council