They are not known for having the most honest reputation, but this newest scam is something totally different. People in London are getting taken advantage of after calling on a plumber, or a central heating engineer, but not the way you might be imagining.
One London based citizen was having trouble with their central heating system so they called up a local plumber. Nobody answered as they anxiously waited through a several minute long recording. Finally they gave up and hung up. When they got their phone bill they found out they had been taken advantage of. While they were waiting on the line they were being charged by the telephone number. They were being charged by a central heating and plumber agency that did not even exist.
This scam is being run all throughout London. It is a profitable scam because when people need their central heating system or pipes fixed they are willing to wait through long phone recordings. For every second that they wait, they are being charged.
Some of the people who have called the number have been suffering from actual emergencies. Either their pipe burst, or their boiler cracked. They were in desperate need of a central heating engineer, or a plumber. As they waited on the line their problem got worse. When they finally got in touch with a real person the problem was much more massive than it had been. If it had not been for the scam these people may have been spared a lot more money than what the telephone call cost them.
Still, scammers like these do not seem to care what happens to their victims. If they are willing to prey on people already going through central heating problems, then they are truly the scum of society.
A legitimate heating engineer, or a real plumber, would want people going through emergencies to carefully research a London based company before dialing their number. If you have access to the internet it is easy to tell the real companies from the fake ones. There are a couple ways to tell if the company is real.
Just because they have a Web site doesn’t mean they’re legit. One of the scamming companies had a very convincing Web site that helped fool the victims. Real central heating and plumber agencies will usually be reviewed through various reviewing Web sites. Check the reviews to see what people have said about the company. If a company has not been reviewed then don’t bother calling them.
Also, try to keep a cool head if your pipes burst, or your boiler goes bad. It’s not the end of the world. Just breathe a few times before calling a number. Remember, things can get worse if you start making bad decisions. When you feel level headed then you can try to find a good central heating and plumber agency. There are plenty of legitimate ones in London that are well worth a free telephone call.