A NEW initiative is helping to keep fradusters and con artists away from the doors of vulnerable people in Redditch and Bromsgrove.
The Nominated Neighbour Scheme works by enrolling a willing person who is able to have callers referred to them by a potential victim so their identity can be checked and verified.
People who sign up have a sticker put in their window telling any callers they are part of the scheme and referring them to the nominated neighbour for their ID to be checked.
Richard Waterhouse of North Worcestershire Community Partnership said the scheme was already paying dividends.
“We have had reports of callers walking up to the front doors of vulnerable people, seeing the sign and then turning around and walking away again,” he said.
The initiative is part of a programme of schemes developed by the Partnership and other agencies to reduce crime and anti social behaviour in the Redditch and Bromsgrove area.
“There are a lot of scams out there and we can advise people on how to keep themselves safe in the community,” said Richard.
“We also offer a wide range of useful things like light switch timers, bells to put on purses and wallets, and lanyards so they can’t be snatched out of your hands.”
Made up of Safer Redditch, Safer Bromsgrove and Safer Wyre Forest the service also offers property marking as well as advice on a wide range of topics from staying safe online to home security, personal security and vehicle and bike safety.
Richard can even offer safety sleeves for contactless credit and debit cards so they can’t be cloned and advises people to stay up to date with the latest antics of online scammers by daily checking the Action Fraud website at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/.
For more information on the Partnership and how they can help you stay safe, visit Redditch Town Hall or Parkside, Bromsgrove, or visit https://nwcsp.org/ online.
