Police say that many of these incidents entail people calling to homes, claiming to work for utilities or offering to carry out home repair work. While some of these callers will be genuine, officers are asking residents to follow some simple steps to help keep themselves safe. They say no one should feel pressurised into opening their door. Tell the person to go away or point to the No Cold Callers sticker on your door. If you don’t have one, contact your local station on 101. You should always ask for identification, especially if the person claims to represent a business or public service organisation. By using QuickCheck, people can phone 101 to check the identity of callers to their home who claim to represent a utility company Be sure your back door is locked before attempting to open your front door or vice versa. Sometimes a rogue caller can distract you while their accomplice tries to gain entry via other means. Detective Constable Billings said: “There are a number of initiatives in addition to QuickCheck which are really useful, including the No Cold Calling, the Nominated Neighbour scheme, Neighbourhood Watch and ScamwiseNI Partnership and details of all of these can be found on our website at psni.co.uk “For example, the Nominated Neighbour cheme allows householders to nominate a person who will deal with callers to their home. If a caller arrives when you are alone in the house, they can be shown a card instructing them to contact your ‘Nominated Neighbour’, who will then try and check the caller’s identity avoiding the need for you to open your front door. “You can contact your local crime prevention officer on 101 about the Nominated Neighbour scheme and QuickCheck. “Finally, I would really urge people to always ask for proof of identity. If people are who they say they are, they will be happy to show you their ID. No ID should mean no admittance. “I’m also making a direct appeal to friends and loved ones of older people, or those who are vulnerable in our communities to please, take a few minutes and have a conversation with them about what they can do to help protect themselves and their homes. “To avoid becoming the victim of a scam visit ScamwiseNI at www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/scamwiseni or @ScamwiseNI,” added the detective. Read more: Fixed penalty notices issued outside local schools Police alert parents over packaging after Carrickfergus drugs search ‘Intoxicated’ and ‘verbally abusive’ teens distressing for Carrick residents