Dosh dilemma – boiler scam leaves George out of pocket - what should he do?

With the weather warming up and the heating finally switched off, George thought it would be a good time to get his boiler serviced. It was only two years old and working fine, so it would just a routine check, nothing major. 

He went online, found a local ‘heating engineer’ on a tradesperson site and gave him a ring. The engineer insisted on full payment upfront to book the job. A bit over the top thought George, but he went along with it and paid by a bank transfer.  

The next day, the trader showed up, fiddled around for half an hour and left, saying everything was sorted and that he’d email George the paperwork shortly. 

But days later, George hadn’t received anything. Worse still, he wasn’t getting any hot water.  

So he rang the engineer who told him the boiler was working perfectly fine when he left. There was no mention of a refund or a free repair, just an offer to come back to take a look, for a £50 call-out fee! 

That’s when George realised he might’ve just been scammed. 

He wants to know, what should he do? 

Report it 

George, you should definitely report the incident.  

• Most trade sites have a complaint procedure, which you should definitely follow with a complaint. If there’s no complaint form to fill in, contact the site directly.  

• File a report with Action Fraud, the UK’s fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. 

• Call  Citizens Advice  on 0808 223 1133 or contact the National Trading Standards. 

• Let your bank know ASAP. They’ll be able to advise you on whether you can reclaim the money and how to protect your account.  

How to avoid getting scammed by rogue traders 

• Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer for any boiler or gas work. Ask to see their ID before letting them in. 

• Do your homework: look up online reviews, ask for references and check they have a verifiable business address. 

• Get it in writing: before any money changes hands, get a written quote or contract outlining the work and the cost. 

• Never pay upfront unless it’s with a trusted, verified tradesperson and even then, be cautious. 

• Ask questions: if someone’s legit, they’ll be happy to tell you about their experience and past jobs.