Doorstep Scammers: Don't Get Caught Out

Each year, Brits lose more than £2billion to scams and fraud, and the criminals are growing more brazen by the day. Alexis Conran returns with a new series exploring the growing world of scammers and con artists. We bring you horror stories of people who've lost a fortune, explain the tactics that scammers love, and go undercover to beat the scammers at their own game. In this edition, Alexis and his team take on the scammers who make us vulnerable in the place we should be safest - at home. Christian from Wakefield comes face to face with a scammer in the privacy of his own home. He invited the man in to sell his £10,000 Rolex but the scammer only pretends to send the money via a custom-built ‘fake bank' app. When Christian refuses to hand the watch over, the scammer steals it. In London, students Alma and Bruno got scammed on the doorstep of what they thought was their future home. After visiting the apartment of their dreams, they agree to pay a full year's rent up-front – £20,000 – only to learn the ‘landlord' doesn't really own the place and he's run off with their money.