'Help! Rogue traders conned £6k out of me and vanished'

Maureen lost £6,250 to roofers who didn’t do the work and then disappeared. 

After a storm caused water damage to her home in July 2024, she searched for local roofers online and found one that appeared to have five-star reviews and a ‘Google Guarantee badge. 

She called and within days, five men came to her home. One of the men asked to see the loft. He said her insulation needed to be replaced for £2,200. But the costs quickly spiralled – he said the loft was in danger of collapsing without a new £4,000 brace.

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Rogue roofer

‘I was totally shocked and very scared. I’m a disabled, single woman so I was extremely vulnerable and felt pressured,’ says Maureen. ‘This man was full of talk. I wasn’t comfortable with my home being invaded by a team of five workmen. He said he couldn’t leave my property, as he could not “complete his report” without installing the brace.'

Maureen was told her home insurance ‘absolutely had to pay out’ for the costs and that he would liaise with them on her behalf. 

Maureen later discovered this was a lie. After she had paid £6,250 via bank transfer, all contact ended and the website vanished. Then, more damage caused by a storm in September revealed that the repairs hadn’t been completed.

• Find out more: what to do if you lose money in a bank transfer scam

Reporting the scam

When Maureen reported the rogue traders to her bank, Santander, she was told it was a civil matter and that she would have to pursue a claim in court. 

Feeling utterly defeated, she came to Which?. We learnt that Santander had dismissed her scam reimbursement claim without contacting Trading Standards. 

After further investigation, including new information from the receiving bank over the nature of the business not aligning with the account she paid, Santander agreed to reimburse the full £6,250.

Santander said: ‘The available information was initially more consistent with the case being a civil dispute. We have since received new information and determined that, on balance, the situation is more likely to have been a scam.’

Civil cases vs fraud 

Which? has previously reported on banks unfairly telling victims of investment fraud that they have civil disputes and, therefore, aren’t eligible for their money back under the existing rules.

Distinguishing between a scam and a civil case isn’t always clear-cut, and banks sometimes mishandle complex cases. 

If you've lost money to fraud and you think your bank has rejected your claim unfairly, don't give up. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at your complaint and will consider all cases on their own merits, on the balance of probabilities, after assessing all of the evidence and arguments presented by both parties. 

Give as much evidence as you can, for example, copies of any texts and emails exchanged with the scammer, or screenshots of any websites related to the scam.