Southampton City Council has warned of a new in-person scam targeting tenants who have key safe boxes outside of their property.
In a letter sent to several council flat blocks, including Manston Court in Lordshill, a member of the Supported Housing team has warned that a man has been knocking on doors claiming to be a warden from the council.
It is believed that the man has then asked for ‘confirmation’ of the residents’ combinations to their key safe box.
Some council flats have these boxes installed to aid emergency services in the event of an emergency, allowing them to access properties without breaking down doors.
But the letter says that this information is usually only collected in a tenant’s annual review during visits which are usually pre-arranged.
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The letter from the council said: “I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that the support team are not currently knocking doors for this information, and I would strongly advise that you do not divulge any personal details if approached in this manner.
“If you are concerned that you may have been a victim, please ensure that you change your keysafe number immediately, and report to the police.”
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The letter is aimed at council tenants since the person is impersonating a warden, but commenters on Facebook noted that private renters should be aware of the situation too.
One person called the situation ‘worrying’ and seemed concerned that the scam attempts were being made face to face.
The council says that to stay vigilant, residents should always ask to check a warden’s ID badge to verify that they are legitimate and authorised to ask for such information.
A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: “Southampton City Council was made aware of a man knocking on doors and asking for the combinations to key safes.
"As the safety and wellbeing of our residents is important to us, we delivered letters to people living in five of our supported housing blocks in that area to reassure them that our Telecare team is available if they are concerned by the behaviour of a caller.
"Our letter also highlighted the importance of requesting ID from people who knock on the door. If residents are suspicious of a person’s behaviour, they should always report this to the police.”
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