The hardest part of stealing valuables is getting into a house without being seen, finding the money or valuables and then getting out again without getting caught. Wouldn’t it be good if a criminal could get you to invite him in, give him some time to look around and then show him out and wave goodbye? Good for him that is, not for you!

Unfortunately some criminals manage to do just that, and they use the bogus caller trick to arrange it. They claim to have some sort of official standing when they come to your door, trick you into letting them in, trick you into leaving them alone for a while, then they walk off with the family jewels or your life savings. This is sometimes called a ‘distraction burglary’.

Distraction Burglary

It is easier to divert your attention if two or more of them work together. A pair of bogus callers will engage you in their trick – for example, a bogus meter reader will ask you to hold his torch while he gets in to write down the reading. Meanwhile his colleague who has been introduced as a trainee meter reader will ask if it is OK for him to use the toilet, which most people readily agree too. But you are trapped holding the torch in the hall while the meter reader pretends that his pen has broken and searches for another non-existent pen. He may even ask you to get a pen from the kitchen for him to use while his ‘trainee’ colleague is using the toilet – or in reality searching other rooms in the house.

This is a problem that could potentially affect anyone, though it is more likely to have more serious consequences for the elderly and infirm. Bogus callers take many forms, but they are all intent on a criminal objective. Some of the classic bogus caller tricks and methods are described below. The only effective counter-measure that is available to people is not to let the bogus callers into their home.

Statistics show that last year in the UK, 400,000 cases of bogus callers were reported. In at least 180,000 of those cases, the callers managed to get in and steal money or property. That sounds like a lot, but remember that unreported crime is generally thought to be at the very least, equal to reported crime. That means that the actual incidence of bogus callers was nearer 800,000 and about 360,000 people had things stolen by them. Personally I think that the level of distraction burglary is much higher!

This doesn’t mean that the elderly are stupid, it simply reflects the fact that they were raised in a time when people were automatically deferential to anyone in authority. For them, somebody in what looks like a uniform would usually be trusted and obeyed without question. Today, there is a decreasing level of respect for authority figures and their argumentative attitude usually protects younger people from the same tricks. Nevertheless, everyone should be aware of the disguises and tricks that are used. Some common tricks are discussed below, but remember that anyone who comes to your door could be a bogus caller.

Bogus Meter Readers

Pretending to be an electricity or gas meter reader, the bogus caller knocks at your door. They appear to be wearing some sort of official uniform, with a clipboard and a friendly but slightly bored manner and ask where the meter is. Nobody really knows how often the meter reader calls, because they seem to come when they want to, and nobody is surprised to find one on their doorstep.

If they have done their research properly they will probably target elderly residents. They shine a torch, write something on a form clipped to their board, thank you and almost as an afterthought ask if they can use the toilet, or maybe ask for drink of water. Whatever they want, it is an excuse to get a chance to look around the house and pocket anything small and valuable. That done they thank the resident again and off they go. The loss is not likely to be discovered for some while, by which time they will be long gone.

Bogus Council Employees

This is the same trick but using a different excuse. The caller claims to be from the local authority or housing association. They spin a story about checking the property prior to redecoration, replacement of the gutters or a check on the status of the back garden.

The excuse is to get them in through the front door. Once there they adopt the usual routine of engaging the householder in their tricks. For example, the householder is asked to show one guy through to the back gutters while his colleague says he will check the front. Once in the garden the criminal will distract the householder, asking about the flowers, pointing out problems with neighbour’s gutters, or getting you to hold the clipboard while he tugs at the fence to see how strong it is. Copious compliments on the quality of the garden and the tidiness of the house all keep your attention away from the other criminal who has already done a tidy search of the lounge and kitchen and is now upstairs going through the bedrooms.

The one talking to you won’t finish his task until the second man appears to report that the front gutters are OK. His praise for the state of the house, garden or gutters raises a smile on the face of the resident and tells our criminal that his colleague has finished checking the house and has stolen everything worth taking.

Once again, they smile and go on their way to try the same trick at a few other houses in the street, before they think they have pushed their luck too far and move on.

Bogus Travellers in Distress

There are many different versions of this trick. For example, a couple of nice clean young men claim their car has broken down nearby. They say they need to use a phone because they are on their way to visit their mum who is in hospital following an accident. On the other hand it could be a group of ten-year-old children, (yes, even young kids can be criminals too), telling you they lost their puppy and saw it run in through your gate and asking if they can look for it.

Their aims are the same, to engage you in their tricks and engineer an opportunity to take a look around and steal as much as they can. One of the young men uses the phone and the other may ask if he can use the toilet, or ask you to get pen and paper so they can write a note to leave in the car, or anything else they can think of to distract you while they find what they can take. With the kids and their stray puppy, they will probably ask you to help look for it, but while the kids are milling around, you lose track of them and don’t realise that one or two of them have slipped off to search the house.

Bogus Workmen

Cowboy workmen often try to trick their way into homes, but their tricks have some additional ploys built in. They will try to trick their way into your home to steal things, but they have added some refinements, which usually revolve around them telling you that you need urgent building repairs. For example, they claim that while they were passing they saw that a slate on the roof was cracked. They then try to frighten you, especially if you are elderly, by claiming that if the tile isn’t replaced immediately the roof will rot away or fall off.

If they can persuade you to agree to have the work done, the ‘builders’, who are conveniently travelling in a lorry with ladders and slates and other materials, will climb up onto the roof. They usually fiddle around for half an hour or so and then come down, claim to have fixed the problem and demand an extortionate fee. They have even been known to take an elderly householder to a cash point or bank so that they can draw out money to pay them.

Otherwise they can ask to go inside the house to look out of the bedroom windows or check inside the loft for water damage. Once inside, of course they help themselves to anything they can, while you are distracted.

Bogus Salespeople

Bogus salespeople are a double risk. They could talk their way into your home to steal things, but their crime may be to get you to buy something worthless or which they have no intention of delivering.

General Advice

No matter what they pretend to be, they want to get inside your house and distract your while they steal money or valuables. Stay alert and stop them from targeting you or others in your area.