Barking and Dagenham council have been made aware of a person calling themselves ‘Nick’, claiming to be from the council's housing repairs team in an effort to scam their way into people’s homes.

The council is aware of reports of this individual contacting tenants and inquiring about outstanding repairs and issues with mould and damp. The individual claims to be from the council’s housing repairs team. The council is warning tenants that this person does not work for them and is reminding tenants to only provide personal information and access to their homes to individuals who can provide proper identification and have been confirmed as council employees or contractors.

The council is currently looking into this matter and would like to remind tenants to be vigilant and report any suspicious telephone calls or visits immediately.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, Cllr Saima Ashraf said: "We take the safety and security of our tenants very seriously and will not tolerate any individuals trying to scam their way into people's homes. We want to remind all our tenants to be vigilant and only provide personal information and access to their homes to individuals who can provide proper identification and have been confirmed as council employees or contractors.

“We are currently looking into this matter and urge any tenants who have received suspicious calls or visits to report them to the council immediately.”