A bogus tree surgeon's scam has been thwarted by one canny resident.

A conman masquerading as a tree surgeon and demanding cash for a favour told a Purley resident on July 20 that he noticed a large branch fall from one of the householder’s trees, landing across the adjacent footpath and causing an obstruction.

He claimed he was a tree surgeon and, in order to clear the obstruction, had cut the branch into manageable lengths and removed them.

He followed the news of his good deed with the suggestion the householder pay him a token gesture of £120.

Refusing to hand over the cash, the resident first contacted a trusted tree surgeon – who could find no evidence of a fallen branch – and then the police, informing them of the attempted fraud.

“The sheer effrontery of some con artists never fails to amaze," Councillor Hamida Ali said.

"The resident in this case did exactly the right thing in refusing to pay for work that he hadn’t commissioned.

“Sadly, there are residents who are susceptible to this sort of approach, They take the story at face value and, grateful that a good Samaritan has come to their aid, hand over the money.

“Anybody who has been approached in this manner, or suspects they might have fallen victim to a scam, should immediately contact the police or the council’s trading standards department.”

Croydon Council’s trading standards team has a limited number of “no cold caller” packs available to Croydon residents. The pack contains advice, information and a sticker, to be displayed on or near the front door, informing salesmen and other cold callers that the householder is not interested in any service they might be offering.

To obtain a pack, email trading.standards@croydon.gov.uk or call 020 8407 1311.