Parents been scammed. How can I prevent further incidents?

[howfartospar]

Parents allowed some door-knockers to clean their drive and put a "special" coating on it.
Long story short they've been scammed by nearly £1000 for their "work"
They were very intimidating and ensured they went to the post office to get the cash. They even searched the house and had access to their mobile phones
They do not want police involvement and are very embarrassed.
I will speak to PCSO and install a Blink doorbell with signs. My DH and I do jobs for them on the weekend but I want to safeguard them at all times.
Any tips gratefully received

I had something similar with my father. I had to spell out very clearly that he is not to accept work from people knocking on the door.

I'm surprised the Post Office haven't had training to look out for elderly people withdrawing large sums of money, most banks have. In my local Nationwide branch they have posters up warning people of this type of scam.

I think you should inform the police because they may have targeted other elderly people in the area and if they have descriptions etc it will make it easier to catch these scum.

Reading your post again, with them searching the house they definitely need reporting. Your parents have nothing to be embarrassed about.

Ring doorbells etc are a good idea - I'm getting on a bit and I have one too. I sometimes wish I had other cameras back and front too, but I haven't got round to it and my son says I don't need them. I do have a sign on my door like this - sometimes they still knock and start their spiel, and I say "Can I just stop you there and draw your attention to this sign" and point to it. Mostly they apologise, say they hadn't seen it and move on, but I did have one the other day who said he couldn't read, so I helpfully read it for him.
(Sorry for long link.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reflective-Letterbox-Resistant-Waterproof-Anti-rust/dp/B0C1B9TQNS/ref=sxin_15_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.ca5786bf-3a9b-4bcd-8ca1-c5665d1e8e4a%3Aamzn1.sym.ca5786bf-3a9b-4bcd-8ca1-c5665d1e8e4a&crid=3FHKCWO5W2PFZ&cv_ct_cx=no+cold+callers+sign+for+front+door&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.M3hL_Ffz-sWCF7uu8nrnG8p-DRpnkGWV3SvDaDHexLIOJ7yqclx5g9aUMF7HAw_iq1QBB3NwaJXLy170QBjOJw.3bOm-BqskzupCyWlduJBHpZWRwLv9ZWdaLhLIbt2H-Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=no+cold+callers+sign+for+front+door&pd_rd_i=B0C1B9TQNS&pd_rd_r=28994022-096d-45dd-ae3a-b64106e4d2e4&pd_rd_w=INzWP&pd_rd_wg=Y7HII&pf_rd_p=ca5786bf-3a9b-4bcd-8ca1-c5665d1e8e4a&pf_rd_r=1D195KJ3QAD12VJEHA1D&qid=1717876301&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=no+cold%2Caps%2C232&sr=1-1-ad3222ed-9545-4dc8-8dd8-6b2cb5278509-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

I'd be tempted to call the Police even though they've said no. What else have they taken? Cash, identity documents, Building Society Passbooks?

But first can you talk to them about tying money up so that it can't be withdrawn easily?

I have “ this property is covered by cctv” stickers on my door and gate even though I’ve no cameras. Also you can get a sign “ we don’t buy at the door”
https://www.safetysigns4less.co.uk/Information-Signs/Junk-MailCold-Caller-Signs/Police-TradingWe-Do-NotPlease-Leave-and-Do-Not-Return?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_feed_or_listings&pl=STD&ccv=Y&sku=DP080AR-S&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI64608uXMhgMViY9QBh2YrADkEAQYAiABEgICQ_D_BwE

Definitely report on 101 as there may have been other people targeted.
Do you know why they looked at your parents mobiles? Could they have got any banking info from there or at the PO?

My Dad is very proud and now doesn't want a fuss. I think they're also scared about them returning.
I will speak to the police but we have few details to go on.
My thoughts are centered on how to safeguard them moving forward. I've ordered a doorbell camera, CCTV sign and and future work will be arranged via ratedpeople.com
Sadly, there are some scumbags about.

There Are cheap ‘dummy’ CCTV cameras you can buy on Amazon that look real. They need a battery and have red blinking lights too. It may be a deterrent at least. Could you explain to your parents that these scumbags will be doing the same to other elderly people and without them reporting it they will continue to get away with it. Neighbours may have seen a van or vehicle they got into or may have caught them going door to door on their ring doorbells. If it’s reported to the police they can ask neighbours for their footage.

My Dad was scammed out of £5500 by a rogue trader. Stereotypical "your roof needs fixing". My Dad went to the bank a 3rd time to withdraw another £3k and the bank called the police. The police took it very seriously and gave lots of advice on recognising scams. I'm not sure if they caught the utter bastards and it nearly broke my Dad, who always wanted to see the best in people. Dad passed away a year later and I have drilled my Mum never to have work done by cold callers and to always double check with me if unsure.

I hope your parents allow you to call the police and a ring door bell is a great idea.

My mother in law who is almost 98 had an incident last year when an absolute fucking scumbag wanted to power wash her front garden path. She told him she was not interested, that she had sons and grandsons who do all of that sort of work for her and she closed the door. He began power washing the door step as she was standing on it. Thank god a neighbour had seen him and intervened. He legged it. I think I would have killed him if I could get my hands on him. Fuckers.

As an officer , please assure your parents that they have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. We get calls about this every day , several times a day , and both my parents and grandparents have fallen foul of visits by these people - and one tried their luck on my mum whilst I was in her house !

If possible , I would still report it, even if only from an intelligence pov. We can’t target criminals we don’t know about , and I’d bet a months wages they’re not the only ones. They’re also more likely to return if they’ve got away with it , so making obvious new security changes like a ring camera or CCTV will be a big deterrent .

Utter cunts. Glad the neighbour had the presence of mind to intervene.

My DM used to say “I’m not spending any money on my house until I’ve consulted with my son in law”. Door then closed. You need to drill them in this line. Substitute daughter if necessary. She belonged to social groups who told members to say similar and get them to recognise a scam. Even if it’s not a scam, don’t agree to anything. Always consult and think about it. No fool like an old fool. They don’t like how they feel now so care going forward does need to be talked about. Ultimately they have to learn how to protect themselves because you cannot be there all the time.

This happened to my mum as well, some unnecessary roofing work done by cold callers, costing thousands. She is far too trusting.
After another incident (thankfully we managed to intervene in time) we’ve installed a camera doorbell and put up a ‘no cold callers’ sign - she doesn’t like it but we’ve told her she doesn’t have a choice!

Also we’ve got POA in place so that we can speak to people on her behalf if they are being difficult.

What a cowardly way to make a living, swindling vulnerable old people out of their pension money.

Do your parents have friendly neighbours? my Mum had a couple of good neighbours who worked from home and they always told her to say 'I'll just need give Jim next door a call and check and the only occasion she was pressured she shut the door and did that and him and another neighbour were round in a couple of minutes. It also meant she knew if there was a problem she could just a call and they would help her immediately until they could get in touch with me.

My PILs were scammed like this.

There ought to be very harsh penalties for scamming people who are 65+.

It’s so common.

I think door knocking/cold calling should be made completely illegal. At best it’s fucking annoying and at worst, people are being scammed.

Contact your local trading standards department. They should help. Ring doorbell or similar, set up with YOUR phone.