Police warn homeowners to be on high alert after Prahran man swindled by dodgy tradie

An elderly Prahran man has become the latest person to fall victim to a rogue band of travelling conmen.

An elderly Prahran man has allegedly become the latest victim of travelling conmen who are swindling homeowners out of thousands.

The man allegedly handed over $29,000 when a tradie knocked on his door and told him his gutters needed urgent repairs.

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But when days passed without the alleged fraudster turning up for work, called the man to demand his money back.

The tradesman refused, instead allegedly trying to extort his victim out of a further $10,000, before the elderly man called police, Detective Senior Constable Jasper Shannon said.

“It’s a ruse, they’ll say your roof’s leaking or in this case your gutters need fixing … they’ll start the work but what they’re actually doing is damaging the property,” he said.

The alleged tradie was arrested and charged during a police sting on January 15, which Sen-Constable Shannon said was a great result for police.

But he warned conmen were difficult to catch once money was given to them, and they tended to target older homeowners.

Investigations are ongoing to locate the alleged victim’s missing money.

Sen-Constable Shannon encouraged all homeowners to view unsolicited offers for handy work with caution.

“Always seek out your own trades and services, don’t ever accept door to door work,” he said.

“If you’re going to entertain it, ask for some sort of business credentials first.”

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