WARNING ABOUT COLD CALLERS

Police in the north of Essex are reminding residents to be wary when receiving cold calls from people selling security alarms and CCTV.
Cold callers are people who phone or turn up at your door without warning or prior appointment.
Over the past week police officers have received a number of calls from people expressing concern. In some cases the cold callers are said to be indicating that they are connected with a police crime prevention initiative, or used to be a police officer. In other cases, the cold callers have quoted alarming crime statistics, claiming a massive increase in a certain type of crime in the resident's area, which is entirely untrue and fabricated.

Andrew Gardner, Chief Executive of Age UK Essex said “Certain sections of the population are more susceptible to this type of deception than others and I am particularlyconcerned that older people may be unwittingly duped into parting with cash for bogus products. Being safe and secure are very important to many older people and I think this is a cruel way of trying to cash in on peoples fear and concerns.”

Tendring District Crime Reduction Officer, David Gillies, said: “All cold calls should be treated carefully. If it seems too good to be true, it normally is. Anyone with any concerns should contact their local Crime Reduction Officer on the non-emergency number 101, or Trading Standards at Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.”

Additional valuable guidance can be found at the Trusted Trader page on the Essex Police website:

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For more information or to arrange a media interview contact:

Andrew Gardner, Chief Executive or Peter Bland, Deputy Chief Executive, Age UK Essex, 112 Springfield Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6LF

Tel: 01245 346106

Email: or

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Note to editors:

About Age UK

Age UK – the leading older person’s charity – provides support, services, information and products to people over the age of 50. It has more than 160 partners across the country.

Age UK Essexis a charity operating across Essex ‘Improving the lives of older people’ since 1949. Today it provides: information and advice, support in the home and in the community to enable people to live independently and avoid social isolation. It enables older people’svoices to be heard andsupports more than 200 older peoples clubs and groups across the county.Further details on Age UK Essex and its products and services are available from

Key facts

  • Each year, about 650,000 people turn 65
  • There are 10.3m people aged 65 or over in the UK
  • There are more people in the UK aged 60 and above than there are under 18
  • The number of people aged 65+ is expected to rise by 65% to over 16.4m by 2033
  • Nearly one in five people currently in the UK will live to see their 100th birthday
  • About 3.7 million older people live alone. 70% of these are women over 65
  • One in three people over 65 will die with a form of dementia
  • There are 300,000 people above the age of 65 in Essex
  • Age UK Essex engages with 25,000 older people each year