Doorstep crime (sometimes called door-to-door crime) is when someone pretends to be a different person and tries to get:

• into your house
• your personal information
• you to pay for work you do not need

Bogus callers

Bogus or fake callers can come to your house and try to get inside. They usually want to steal your valuables or information.

They might pretend to be:

• council staff
• charity collectors
• meter readers
• police officers

Rogue traders

Rogue traders can come to your door or phone you and try to convince you to pay for services you do not need.

These can include:

• work on your roof, driveway, or garden
• repairs they’ve noticed you need

They will often want payment in cash and try to get it right away. Then, they might never do the work, or do an unfinished or bad job.

If you want to tell us about doorstep crime, you can report it online, by phone, or in person.

Report it using our online form

Learn about other ways you can report a crime to us

If you think someone might be a trying to scam you, you can:

• keep them out of your house
• ask them to leave
• if they will not leave, call us on 999
• get help from someone you trust after you contact us
• if you can, write down a description of the person and any vehicle they use (including make, model, and registration number)

Protect yourself

To protect yourself from doorstep fraud, you can:

• ignore the door if you’re not sure who it is
• lock your doors and keep them locked
• use a door viewer (peephole), window, or camera to check who’s there
• use a door chain or bar
• only let in visitors with an appointment
• check ID badges and call the company to check they’re legitimate
• ask them to come back later when someone else is there if you’re uncomfortable
• lock away any cash or valuables in your house

Read more advice on how to protect yourself from doorstep scams by Take Five.

Read our advice on break in and burglary for how to protect your home and valuables.

Protect family, friends, and neighbours

To protect anyone who might be vulnerable, you can:

• be alert for strange vans in your neighbourhood
• make sure they do not withdraw large amounts of cash
• help keep their house well maintained
• make it less obvious if they live alone
• be extra alert if they’ve been scammed before (scammers often target the same person more than once)
• report anything that seems suspicious

If you want to talk to a police officer about suspicious activity in your area, you can contact your community police team.