News EUGENIO MARONGIU / SHUTTERSTOCK Prison sentences for Highland rogue traders Homeowners have to be vigilant when employing workmen to carry out work in their home Three brothers from Inverness were jailed for a total of five-and-a-half years at Dingwall Sheriff Court in October, for doorstep-crime offences. After a joint Highland Trading Standards and Police Scotland investigation, over several months, James Johnstone, 42, pleaded guilty to charges of extortion, fraud and theft, while Peter Johnstone, 30, and William Johnstone, 35, pleaded guilty to charges of fraud. The investigation was initiated after a number of complaints about the activities of the brothers had been received by both trading standards and the police. The complaints were brought up at a joint tasking meeting, at which point further intelligence was provided, and the serious nature of what was happening was fully discovered. It emerged that the brothers offered property maintenance services under a variety of trading names, including Johnstone Property Maintenance. Their modus operandi appeared designed to evade detection; sometimes they apparently left the area for months at a time. After cold calling unsuspecting householders, the brothers would be persistent and persuasive, preying on anyperceived vulnerability of the people they targeted. In their wake, surveyors reports confirmed that either no repairs were carried out, or any work that was done was minor, substandard, and often caused further damage to the properties. Gordon Robb, Highland Trading Standards manager, said: This kind of doorstep crime can affect anyone if they are not on their guard, but older or vulnerable adults are definitely more at risk of becomingvictims. Highland Trading Standards has a robust enforcement policy when it comes to this type of crime, and will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and other partner agencies to combat it. Around 80 per cent of people in Essex who have fallen victim to scam mail are expected to continue taking part in them despite being visited by trading standards. Essex Trading Standards officers have found that the majority of vulnerable people they have visited so far will continue to respond to scam mail because they are lonely and it gives them hope. Officers are working their way through a so called suckers list with about 3,000 names on and visiting the most vulnerable. They found one person who had been sent more than 300 letters from scammers in just two months. But officers acknowledge that their advice will often fall on deaf ears. Councillor Roger Walters, Essex County Councils lead member for trading standards, said: Unfortunately, we know that victims of these scams get sucked in. They do it because they are lonely. It becomes a habit, obsession or addiction. It keeps them busy. Victims try to hide their post from families and friends and deny that theyare real. Of the people on the list that officers have visited so far, the majority have denied that these mailings are scams. One of them even asked us not to take away his hope, even though he admitted he had never won a single prize in any of the draws or lotteries hed entered. One of the people officers visited in mid Essex received 311 letters from about 15 different countries in just two months. The letters invited the resident to take part in prize draws, make donations to bogus charities and send off for special offers or readings from clairvoyants. The resident handed over theletters, but said that they would continue to respond to such offers. BIKERIDERLONDON / SHUTTERSTOCK Lonely victims addicted to scams Scam mail can result in people losing thousands of pounds TS TODAY