A UTILITY company at the centre of concerns that 'bogus workers' may have been operating in Largs says it did have bona fide employees working in the town.

A number of social media posts from residents on Monday raised concerns that a suspected bogus caller had been operating in the town, claiming to represent Scottish Power.

But the utility firm says the callers, who knocked at the doors of a number of local properties, were genuine. 

The News contacted Police Scotland and Scottish Power after learning of the concerns following reports of suspected bogus callers at properties in Newhaven Grove and Phillips Avenue on March 25.

A spokesperson for ScottishPower said: “We can confirm we had advisers in the Largs area offering members of the public a range of ScottishPower products.

"We appreciate the concern around bogus callers, which is why we have robust identification procedures in place.

"We operate a two badge authentication process; all of our advisors wear a physical badge with  a ScottishPower hologram.

"Advisors also have a digital photographic ID to verify their identity.

“Our advisers always wear ScottishPower branded uniform and never carry clipboards. There is also a number on the badge that anyone can call to confirm the advisor is genuine.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On the morning of Tuesday, March 26, police received a report of an alleged bogus caller attending a property at Newhaven Grove, Largs, which took place around 5pm on Monday, March 25. Enquiries are at an early stage.”

Information about doorstep crime is available on the Police Scotland website here https://www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/scams-and-frauds/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers/