£15 broken wall repair scam

YESTERDAY an elderly friend recounted a brush with a "builder" scam.

An unexpected knock on his door came with an offer to repair his (broken) low wall by the footpath.

It could be done on the following day for £15 (fifteen pounds) … plus breakfast.

Suspicions were aroused.

The next morning a short course of bricks began to be laid without further discussion.

However, with the help of another and a little play-acting, the attempted scam was thwarted.

Later, I saw the low wall with the knocked-down bricks and the bodged repair. What struck me was the horizontal strips of a wood, a few inches above the low brick wall.

The wood slats were intact and the scene was consistent with the "builder" having knocked over top of the low wall.

£15 to repair?