Creepy men are pretending to be lettings agents in Smithdown

A man posed as a fake letting agent and tried to enter the home of a 20-year-old woman in Wavertree. 

The odd incident happened on Langdale Road and was one of three incidents off Smithdown road on Monday night.

A white man with a foreign accent is said to have asked if he could view the property. He then told the woman he had been sent by Elgin Management letting agency – who later confirmed they had no idea who the man was – sparking a police warning to students in the area.

Elgin Management sent an email to all of their tenants and tweeted: “We have had reports of unexpected visits at some of our houses by tenants. We are working with @MerpolRiverside to look into this #Beware”

A manager from the company told the ECHO:  “Someone has knocked on the door and asked to view it.

“We are just letting people know that we would not do that. We wouldn’t do it outside office hours and not without letting them know first.

“We are just reminding people not to let anyone in unless they’ve received information from us beforehand.

“We are being cautious. We don’t like people knocking on our doors.”

Police have stated they are aware of three similar incidents.

Neighbourhood sergeant Tom Welch told the ECHO: “A man called at three houses unannounced and his behaviour made the occupants suspicious. No criminal offences were committed and nothing was stolen but the residents did exactly the right thing and reported their concerns to their landlords anyway.

“Our advice is never allow anyone you don’t know into your house. This includes cold-callers trying to sell you things, offer repairs or claiming to be from a company saying they need to look inside your house.

“Reputable, legitimate companies will never turn up unannounced and will always make an appointment with you first. Tenants should always check with their landlord if someone does call unannounced and most reasonable people will be happy to wait outside while these checks are made.

“If you remain concerned or suspicious, don’t let them in and instead ask them to leave. If they refuse call 999.”