Don’t get trapped by rat scam

Bridgend County Borough residents are being warned to watch out for phone calls and doorstep visits from scammers suggesting that they have a rat problem in their home.

Pretending to be from either the Environmental Health or Welsh Water, the scammer will then proceed to ask the resident for money to eliminate the rat problem which doesn’t actually exist.

The warning has been issued by Shared Regulatory Services, a joint partnership of services including trading standards and environmental health which covers Bridgend County Borough, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Please be on your guard against this latest scam which we are aware is doing the rounds in South Wales. Don’t hand over your money. Winter is a particularly active time of year for rogue traders and scammers, so please tell family members and neighbours to hang up the phone if they are ever made to feel under pressure in any way, and turn away dodgy doorstep callers.

Scammers’ tactics vary, but they’ll always revolve around trying to get cash off you in one way or another. If you ever suspect a scam, please phone 03454 04 05 06 to get advice first, or call 101 to report any suspicious activity in your neighbourhood.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, a member of the Shared Regulatory Service Joint Committee,