To ask you to be a nosey neighbour?

[KingsBognor]

I’ve joined mumsnet to say this but unfortunately my elderly, disabled Mum has just been taken advantage of by cowboy travellers who caused damage to the time of nearly £1000. Apparently several other elderly people in the local area have also suffered similar experiences.
Sadly, my Aunt was conned out of nearly £80,000 by a cowboy builder but in that instance it was a local based one. We never recovered any of her money.
If you live near an elderly person, please keep your eyes open and be a bit nosier than usual, especially if it didn’t look like anything needed doing in the first place. Apparently another elderly person was targeted by the same ‘roofers’ as my Mum but a neighbour spotted the van, went to investigate and chased them away (hooray for them!)

...to the tune of nearly £1000, not time!

I've got 2 cowboy workmen/outfits removed from my road as the proverbial 'nosy neighbour'. First was jet washing drives and they started on my 80 year old neighbour's. He doesn't even have a car so gives 0 shits about his driveway. Called trading standards and they came right away. Police impounded the flat bed truck for no insurance and trading standards had words about door knocking for on the day work. Never saw workmen again half cleaned driveway looked shit so he used another cowboy outfit to relay but I was too late on that occasion

Second was really dodgy tree work. Called Trading Standards but this time they didn't attend. A beautiful tree was butchered still see it out of my window and a neighbour's fence caved it.

I was really shocked how often the police say it happens but it’s heartening to hear neighbours do step in I think my Mum’s neighbours may have investigated but they were both out.
Terrible that people specifically target the vulnerable- it’s really depressed me.

The cowboy driveway replacers tried to intimidate me when I questioned them if they were going to leave it like that (clearly 'finished' but unfinished if you see what I mean) and they did spend some time making good but it was still a dreadful job. Neighbour is late 80s on his own. Easily conned in their eyes.

I was entertained by the cowboy trying to convince me that cavity wall insulation was absolutely what I needed. My walls are solid hewn chunks of stone with not a cavity in sight.