A Newport man has issued a warning about a man posing as an emergency services representative charging residents to unnecessarily paint their house number on the curb.
Ned Dawson said a man visited his home last week taking orders for painted numbers to assist emergency operators such as police and ambulance.
The man purported to be from a business called Emergency Service Numbers, about which Mr Dawson was unable to find any trace.
“I looked up, I tried to find Emergency Service Numbers, and you get directed to real emergency services but nothing like this,” Mr Dawson said.
“It’s a very slick act. I think it’s a scam. You’re fooled by the vest, the official-looking receipt book.
“Someone who was elderly, a bit vague – more than me – might fall for this one
“Elderly people are quite anxious about a few things, one of them being ambulances turning up on time.”
Ambulance Victoria only asks that people’s house numbers, for example on their letterboxes, be clear.
Consumer Affairs has warned there have also been reports of conmen targeting migrant communities in the Altona North area.
It urges people to warn family and friends to be alert to anyone offering cheap roofing and tiling work.
