How to avoid being scammed
Scammers are taking full advantage of these difficult times and will do or say whatever it takes to get what they want.
One of the most worrying types of fraud that’s popped up is scammers posing as Beyond Housing colleagues and trying to take payments from our customers. This means it’s very important you know how to verify whether someone really is from Beyond Housing when they contact you.
If you are visited at home by a Beyond Housing representative, we will:
1. Always carry an identification badge – DO NOT allow anyone into your home who cannot produce their ID badge
2. Always issue you with a receipt if we take a cash payment from you.
If in doubt, close the door and call our service centre on 0345 065 5656 to check if the visit was from us. If we believe it was a scammer, you should call the police on 101.
Please only allow people into your home when you have checked their identification and you are satisfied they are a Beyond Housing colleague.
If you are contacted by telephone by Beyond Housing, we will always:
1. Tell you who you are talking to, we will give you our name and which department we work for
2. Issue you a receipt number if we are taking a payment from you
3. Offer you an email receipt after taking payment.
If in doubt about who you are speaking to, you can call our service centre on 0345 065 5656 and ask to be put through to that person to help you verify it was really them.
The safest way to avoid losing money to scams is to set up a direct debit with us. This way you know we will never be calling to collect any additional payment from you, because your direct debit takes care of this for you. You can also make card payments securely online through Me & My Home.
If ever you are unsure of a phone call or visitor to your home, you can always contact us to verify the identity of the caller. This will also help us to keep track of any scams targeting our customers and help us reduce the chances of other people becoming victims of the fraud.
Please stay safe and take that moment to pause and think before you respond to anyone asking you to share any personal or financial details.
