Fraudster attempts to con Kirkby couple by pretending to represent debt collector

Scott Price and his girlfriend, who wishes to remain anonymous, were at their home on Lowmoor Road when the fraudster knocked on their door.

The man, who claimed to be from company Marston Holdings, said he was "looking for someone called Jamie Smith" and that he had a warrant to enter the property to retrieve unpaid debts.

However, he was informed that nobody by that name had ever lived in the property and was asked to leave the premises, but he told the homeowner that he "could come back any day between 9am and 6pm and come in the house without our permission".

The incident happened at about 4pm on Thursday, May 30, and "visibly shook" up Mr Price's girlfriend, leading to a warning to other residents "not to fall for this scam".

He said: "The incident happened to my girlfriend and she was in on her own.

"The man was asking for someone called Jamie Smith. No one by that name has ever lived here and its a fairly generic name so it makes me think he was a scammer.

"He wore dark clothes, had a short ginger beard and had a Marston Holdings badge on and he was driving a white van.

"The man gave no details and showed no ID. He threatened to come back if we didn't provide information to him. He was twitchy and didn't give a name.

"He was asking to see identification documents to prove that Mr Smith didn't live here, such as our driving licenses and council tax letters.

"I have since phoned the company and they have no record of a case against us.

"Luckily my girlfriend had her wits about her and wasn't bullied into anything. If it had been someone old or vulnerable it could have be worse."

Mr Price called Nottinghamshire Police after the man left his premises.

Detective Sergeant Susan Howell said: "We'd like to warn residents in Kirkby to be wary of fraudsters knocking on doors, pretending to be someone else and attempting to receive money in the process.

"The warning follows an incident this week where a man knocked on a door and asked for money that was owed to a company.

"The Kirkby resident contacted the company and confirmed that the man didn't work for them. No money was taken.

"We advise that people don’t deal with traders in this manner. Once cash has been handed over it cannot be traced. If you do have an outstanding invoice to pay, always contact that company on a known and trusted number to arrange payment."

Marston Holdings has been contacted for comment.