Thank you to the canny Caerlaverockans who contacted us following separate dodgy encounters with a man in a van in Caerlaverock today.

They have reported it to the police. 

We both had the same experience this afternoon in different locations.  The driver draws up and says he’s just tried to deliver a memory-foam mattress topper to a recipient but they didn’t want it.  It’s fully paid for, he said.  Do you want it?

We both thought it seemed too good to be true so politely declined and sent him on his way.  Here’s a photo of the van [above]– didn’t get the registration but it’s a Mercedes van.

If you Google it, it’s a well-known scam that seems to have been going on for years in various parts of the UK.

Thank you both for letting us know about this. It’s not one we’d heard of before, and it will cost you – the mattress will be poor quality at best, and will not be the ‘bargain’ he advises.
Please share with your family and friends. A simple, polite, but assertive ‘no thank you’ should be enough to see them off.
If you can manage to capture the registration, that would be most helpful to the police. They want to hear about this kind of thing, so don’t hesitate to give them a call on 101.

If you’d rather, you can get in touch with our Community Police Constable, Jac Irving by emailing: 1593706@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Or call 101 and ask for PC Irving V67 based in Dumfries Community Unit.

Here’s a link to one of the posts online about the scam.