We’re here to help keep you, your home and our community safe from scams and bogus callers.

Beating bogus callers

We’ve made it easy to find out if the person at your door is a genuine member of our team. 

1. Check their ID card is correct: Everyone calling on our behalf always carries an identity card which they’ll let you inspect. Check for a Braille strip on the back and our free phone number.
2. If you’re still unsure, take their card and close the door while you call us, anytime day or night, on 03457 145 145.
3. For extra piece of mind, you can sign up for our free Priority Services Register and set your own password. Then whenever our team visit, simply ask them to confirm your password so you always know it’s us before you let them in.
4. We also run a Fitting Image scheme. Call us on 03457 145 145 and we’ll be able to describe the visitor and tell you a code number. Only a genuine Anglian Water employee will be able to tell you their number, so if they can’t when asked, don’t let them in and call the police.    

Four simple steps to remember when someone knocks at the door

• Lock - make sure your back door's locked before answering the front door
• Stop - think 'am I expecting anyone?'
• Chain - secure the door chain, if you have one, before opening it
• Check - Always double-check the caller's identity. If you’re in any doubt, don't let them in.

Spotting a telephone scam

Criminals are experts at pretending to be someone you can trust, so that they can steal personal or financial information. If you're on a call and are worried or unsure, we'll always be happy for you to put the phone down and call us back on our main phone number. And whenever we’re taking a payment over the phone, we do this through a secure process.

STOP – Take a moment to stop and think if someone asks for your personal info. If you're worried, put the phone down and call back on a contact number that you know is correct, such as those on your utility bill or their official website. Scammers can impersonate the 'caller ID' on your phone, so it's not always a safe proof of ID.

CHALLENGE – Ask yourself, could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only a criminal will try to rush or panic you into parting with your money or personal information.

PROTECT – Contact your bank straight away if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or on 0330 123 2040. Don't forget to tell your family and friends, it might help to keep them safe too.

Tips for staying safe online

Unfortunately, scams aren’t limited to cold callers on your doorstep or phonelines. It’s important to take steps to stay safe online too. Here are our top tips:

• Get up to speed with current scams and the latest advice at: cyberstreetwise.com
• Make sure your passwords for any online accounts are hard to crack. When you use different passwords for your important accounts, it can be hard to remember them all. A good way to create strong, memorable passwords is by using 3 random words.
• Beware of phishing emails. They may look tempting, but they are after your information. Think before you click and never click on a link from a sender you don’t know, or you don’t trust.
• When shopping online or making a payment online, check the security of the website by making sure the web address uses “https://”. The “s” stands for secure.
• Keep all your software updated on your laptop, home computer and even your mobile phone, so you have the latest security protection available. Turn on automatic updates so you don’t have to think about it, and make sure that your anti-virus software is set to run regular scans. 

Working in partnership to stamp out scams

We’re proud to be a founding member of Utilities Against Scams to help raise awareness of how to avoid getting scammed. We’re also working with Operation REPEAT in Lincolnshire to train Health and Social care workers so they can help educate people across our region on what to look out for and help loved ones deal with cold callers.