Anglian Water is urging people across the East of England and Hartlepool to take extra care this winter to protect them against bogus callers.

The water company is issuing the advice to help keep customers safe as the clocks are going back this weekend and as the winter nights begin to draw in. A study has revealed that the number of reported cases of criminal activity goes up during the darker evenings, with many cases of distraction being caused by bogus callers.

According to new research by the National Trading Standards, 73% of UK adults have been targeted by scams - but sadly, fewer than a third report the crime to the authorities.

Bethanie Kennedy, Customer Services Partnerships Manager at Anglian Water, said: “Unfortunately, at this time of year we hear of a lot more cases of our customers being targeted by fraudsters. All too often bogus callers will claim to be from the ‘water board’ – even though this organisation hasn’t existed for over 40 years.

“We want all our customers to feel safe in their own home and know what to expect from a genuine Anglian Water employee who may knock on their door.

“All our employees carry identification and will happily hand it over to check it. We also have our Priority Services Register, which provides additional support for our most vulnerable customers, such as our password scheme which can be used to add an extra layer of protection against scams.

“If in any doubt we urge customers to close the door and not be pressured into letting someone into their home. They can then check with us by calling for free on 03457 145 145.”

Anglian Water is proud to be working in partnership with a variety of trusted organisations across the region to help protect and prevent customers falling victim to bogus calls and scams and ensure its customers are supported. The water company is a founding member of the Utilities Against Scams initiative which focuses on raising awareness around scams as a growing issue affecting many people.

In 2021, alongside Cadent Gas, the company funded a county-wide training programme called Operation REPEAT in Lincolnshire, which has since been rolled out in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. The initiative trains front line healthcare workers to deliver messages of scam awareness and prevention to the people they support and care for.

Alongside the project, Anglian Water’s network technicians and Cadent’s engineers in Lincolnshire have been upskilled by the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team to spread awareness directly to customers.

The water company is also a proud member of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership and Norfolk Against Scams Partnership, which are county-wide partnerships made up of public and voluntary sector organisations who are committed to work together to stop scams and doorstep crime across the county.

If you would like to find out more or think you should be on Anglian Water’s Priority Services Register, you can visit anglianwater.co.uk/priority or call Anglian Water’s Priority Services Team on 0800 232 1951.