Trading Standards are worried about targeting of the elderly

A "scambusters" team is being formed to work in 61 local authority areas in London and the South East; they will pursue traders who rip-off the public.

The team will tackle traders who coerce homeowners into having unnecessary and overly expensive improvement jobs done.

In addition, cold-callers using high pressure sales and deception are in the Scambusters sights.

The aim is to help existing Trading Standards Services by dealing with unscrupulous criminal cold-calling traders who move across boundaries, causing misery to their victims Steve Playle, Scambusters project manager

The announcement of the Scambusters initiative follows successful pilot projects in the Midlands and North East of England.

Some of the rogues investigated by Trading Standards officers in these areas include:

• A cold-calling roofer who was issued with an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) preventing him cold calling

A gang carrying out paving work who charge ten times their original quotes

Such cases may only be the tip of the iceberg.

At the launch of National Consumer Week, Trading Standards revealed that dodgy home improvements were the dominant gripe amongst people calling the government Consumer Direct helpline.

Since the start of the year Consumer Direct has received more than half a million complaints about home improvement firms.

Co-ordination key

Rogue builders target the elderly as they are considered vulnerable and may have access to ready cash.

Often rogue firms set up in one area and when detected move away and start up somewhere else.

The key to tackling such traders is co-ordination across lots of different local authority areas, Trading Standards said.

"The aim is to help existing Trading Standards Services by dealing with unscrupulous criminal cold-calling traders who move across boundaries, causing misery to their victims," Steve Playle, Scambusters Project Manager said.

"These traders are often difficult to trace but my new team will have dedicated time and resources to follow these investigations through."

The government has given �1.8m to Trading Standards to fund the Scambuster team.