Police ask residents to be vigilant and to warn neighbours of fake locksmith

Local police are warning residents of a repeat of the sophisticated scam being used by burglars to target homes in the borough, this scam first appeared in 2013 in Putney.

There are growing concerns that burglars are using accomplices to identify vulnerable properties in the borough and then marking them out with discreet plastic stickers.

The scouts are fixing the small, virtually transparent stickers to people’s front doors. They are so discreet that residents may not even notice they are there – but for criminals who know what to look for - they act as a big green light that the property is an easy target.

The stickers are printed with the words “24 hour locksmith” and a telephone number. Detectives believe the scout is sent to an area to look for homes that may be easier to burgle. The belief is that he or she calls at addresses to see if people are at home during the day. This also gives them the chance to get up close to doors and windows and check out how good the locks are.

If the scout thinks the home would be easy to break into - he or she leaves a sticker on the door. If they are stopped by the police they can claim to be innocently distributing marketing material for the locksmiths firm.

A member of the Thamesfield SNT team said: “We have received a number of reports from residents that they have had a ‘’locksmith’’ sticker on their door. Please see attached. The is a scam. Please take the sticker down and advise your neighbours to do the same. Do not attempt to dial this number. ”

June 19, 2020