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AIBU?

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Original poster

A right good Rodgering and the £500 service charge...

299 replies

Hiphopapotamus4 · 21/05/2017 07:53

Sorry for not coming back sooner with an update. To be honest I was a bit creeped out that more than one of you had looked on Rightmove at every single house for sale in the entire county. I mean, there are literally thousands, who has the time for that?!
But also I didn't want to be like the Victorian safe poster and some of you did offer some helpful suggestions so I am back.

The bad news is, this is looking more like a scam. The council don't have any record of it and the local landowners and parish council know nothing either.
Roger called a street meeting and the 10 houses that pay agreed that a "man from the council" had come round years ago to explain what it was for and they have all paid it since. The other house that doesn't pay and us are much newer to the street which explains why we don't pay and neither of our solicitors mentioned anything when purchasing.
Some of them have a direct debit set up and some of them send a cheque. The bank details and address are different to the council tax ones Sad
Roger has reported this to the police and I'm awaiting further updates from him.
Some of them want to keep paying it because they are convinced it's real and don't want to get behind on their payments. Two of them think we are just kicking up a fuss to try and get out of paying it Confused

The general consensus at the end of the meeting was that it might be a scam, but it might not be. I'm convinced that it is Sad

Sad news all round really (but Rodger did come and now my lawn with his new mower!)

OP posts:
TyneTeas · 21/05/2017 11:15

While not directly relevant to the OP, these guides from Age UK may be of interest to some of you to pass on to neighbours or parents
www.ageuk.org.uk/money-matters/consumer-advice/scams-advice/

P1nkP0ppy · 21/05/2017 11:17

My very elderly parents are far, far too trusting too; I've recently stopped direct debits for 'extended insurance ' on five appliances that they've been paying for years after the appliances packed up 😟.
At £48/ month it's been scandalous. The bloody seller of these was really shitty on the phone too.

ElphabaStrop · 21/05/2017 11:17

Giggling at Roger's offshore accounts 😂😂

Thank you so much for the update, OP - please will you keep us posted?

LurkingHusband · 21/05/2017 11:24

Some of them want to keep paying it because they are convinced it's real and don't want to get behind on their payments. Two of them think we are just kicking up a fuss to try and get out of paying it

For myself, I'd just stop paying, and see what crawled out of the woodwork. If the charge was legitimate, there would be some paperwork which could be checked.

If you don't hear anything ever again ...

TwoIsQuiteEnoughThankyou · 21/05/2017 11:29

If this was a TV show, Roger would definitely end up being the perpetrator of the scam. He's covering his tracks by organising the street meeting. And as for mowing your lawn, Hiphop, pretty obvious what's going on there. Subtle mind tricks, that's what.

LemonBreeland · 21/05/2017 11:36

I hope that you and your neighbours manage to get to the bottom of this. Whst a huge amount of money must have been paid. And for how long?

HazelBite · 21/05/2017 11:39

How about getting "Rip off Britain" involved ? This is the sort of thing they are interested in.

Original poster
Hiphopapotamus4 · 21/05/2017 11:40

I love the idea of Roger being a secret master criminal. If you knew him you'd know how funny that is! He was out early this morning for his regular spot of Sunday morning bird watching - or maybe the binoculars are for criminal activity?! WinkGrin

I've been telling a friend about this as it's unfolded and she thinks we she all be highly suspicious of the owner of the house that's for sale as he lives in Cyprus (I think? Somewhere hot anyway!) and it's clearly him running to scam to fund his life of luxury! (This is a joke btw, I've never met him as he has always rented the house and lived abroad but the other neighbors do know him.)

In all serious though, it's really fucking shitty to take advantage of the elderly. We are lucky not to get many door to door salesmen around here but I know a lady who will buy anything if somebody knocks on her door and tells her she "needs" it Angry lowlife scumbags to take advantage like that. I haven't personally spoken to the police but Roger has and I will ask him how they are dealing with it next time I see him.

OP posts:
TroubleinDaFamily · 21/05/2017 11:42
Sad
Wondermoomin · 21/05/2017 11:47

Thank goodness you were so tenacious in pursuing it. It's sad that there are some vulnerable people who are so trusting and worried about getting into trouble that they want to keep paying it Sad

sleepingdragons · 21/05/2017 12:05

Well done hiphop!

GloriaV · 21/05/2017 12:12

They must have the details of the bank account and the bank.
Hopefully scammer can be traced.

WhimsicalWinnifred · 21/05/2017 12:15

I think "back in the day" a lot of services were door to door for collections so it makes sense it wouldn't raise any concerns. I volunteer weekly for an elderly lady and she's not likely to fall for any of this at all but she tells me about men coming to collect the rent for the council, loans men etc etc. If this person came round many years ago before it became unusual for door to door services then it makes sense.

As these people are vulnerable, the police and action fraid will certainly pursue this. I had a fraid incident and they located the person through bank account but Manchester Police stated it was a small sum and I wasn't vulnerable so they wouldn't pursue it. It was 40 quid when I was on smp.

29Palms · 21/05/2017 12:22

Hiphop Any idea how many years this has been going on?

glitterglitters · 21/05/2017 12:22

@WhimsicalWinnifred my dh is in his early 30s and said the insurance man used to come round once a week to collect premiums.

GloriaV · 21/05/2017 12:27

"Back in the day" insurance men came to the door to collect payment for home/life insurance or funeral charges. I say men because ime it was aways men. I am thinking 1970s.
Perhaps they are insured from something like flooding?,

SauvignonBlanche · 21/05/2017 12:27

Your poor neighbours are going to be embarrassed if this turns out to be a scam.

I do hope the police get involved and they can get some justice, thought it's probably unlikely.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 21/05/2017 12:33

Thanks for coming back OP Smile

You do realise don't you that you are morally obliged to continue updating until this mysterious affair is resolved....

GaelicSiog · 21/05/2017 12:39

Surely if they send a cheque it will be relatively easy to track down? Can anyone remember what the man from the "council" said it was for? How horrible for all involved :(

MadamePomfrey · 21/05/2017 12:46

The new house will have the charge on rightmove as that's what the owners told the agents! It won't have been looked into just accepted! I'm guessing the ops house and the other never signed up to the deal as nothing was mentioned during their purchases. All it would have taken is them being out when the 'man from the council' came round. Police should be able to track the account easily enough so if Rodger looks like his about to pack up and run op suspicions confirmed 🕵🏻‍♀️😂

ShakingAndShocked · 21/05/2017 12:50

I've been telling a friend about this as it's unfolded and she thinks we she all be highly suspicious of the owner of the house that's for sale as he lives in Cyprus (I think? Somewhere hot anyway!) and it's clearly him running to scam to fund his life of luxury!

Your friend randomly knows him? Confused Or d'you mean you told her he was in Cyprus (but now not sure of his location) and that was her reaction?

aaaaargghhhhelpme · 21/05/2017 13:06

Well done op! I'm so glad you didn't let this go. Your poor neighbours. Hope they mamage to get some of their money back. Have a Brew detective!

I don't know why. But I imagine roger with a bushy moustache. (if he's the ringleader perhaps he twirls it as he stands at his window looking out).

ZeldaWasMyGransName · 21/05/2017 14:31

Ah Ariawyn you're right about data protection and being told who the account was, I was more thinking they would probably say - "it's so and so council" or "it's an individual" but maybe not

RTKangaMummy · 21/05/2017 15:04

@Hiphopapotamus4 thank you for coming back to give us the update

It is horrible that your neighbours have been conned like this for so long AngrySadAngrySadAngrySadAngrySadAngryAngryAngrySadAngrySadAngry

I am wondering if it was around the time of RATES changed into POLL TAX then changed into COUNCIL TAX

so that a very very friendly helpful man came round and said the government are changing the tax rules and we value your house and/or the number of residents and so with my clipboard I will take down all your details and you pay £500 per year (or pay £100 per month - so obviously more money, therefore getting them to think £500 per year was cheap - to this part of the council (him) and then the other part of the council will write to you about the other part for bins, etc etc

Then a letter arrives from council about POLL TAX or COUNCIL TAX and so they are relieved that everything is in order and so they have it confirmed what this very helpful kind man has told them

So they think there are 2 parts to council tax or poll tax rules cos the kind helpful man explained it to them

And all the neighbours are told the same thing so when they ask next door same story

BBC1 RIP OFF BRITAIN weekdays mornings 9.15am

.

PurpleDragon76 · 21/05/2017 15:12

Though its sad they have been scammed, OMG how amazing are you! Bloody well done on uncovering this and helping them, you can only educate and then its up to them what they do. As we get older we are less able to judge when we are being conned, that is a real thing! Be proud of yourself