Over on the Granada side of the provincial boundary, reports of the gasman scam have been numerous – indeed one of them called at the door of our Editor, but now reports are coming in from Nerja, as well.

The Nerja Town Hall has received several complaints from citizens concerning gas inspectors charging for inspections and minor installations. The prime target is elderly foreigners, especially in Nerja where the foreign population is much bigger than in Granada.

Basically, these ‘operators’ bluff their way into people’s houses and carry out ‘work’ for which they later hand over bills for as much as 263 euros – the victim in this case was a 77-year-old woman living by herself.

So, although we have run a series of articles on this scam, we shall point out the following again.

A) These people are from legitimate companies and but act less than honestly, but not, repeat not, illegally, because the moment you let them into your house you have given your consent and are therefore liable to make good the cost of their ‘inspection and work.’

B) Although you should have your gas installations checked after five years, it is up to you to approach a qualified gas firm and make an appointment for them to come, obtaining a quote before hand how much the visit will cost. Once the gasman is there, you can ask for a quote if something needs changing, as you can shop around for a better one, once the problem is located. In other words, it works exactly like in your home country.

C) One of these dubious gas ‘intruders’ might threaten that you will have your supply (if it is pipped) cut off, or you will be sued, but it is utter nonsense, so take no notice.

D) Take a photograph of them showing their identification, using your phone camera, and tell them that you are phoning the police.

We want to emphasise that they are legitimate companies and are not doing anything illegal, especially if you let them in – they might not be telling the truth, but that does not make them illegal… ask any politician about the difference between not telling the truth and breaking the law…

There are two bona-fide companies, however, in Nerja with their own offices; one is Repsol (the orange bottles) whose local office is run by García & Hijos in Calle Antonio Millón, edificio Peñafiel, Tel: 952 52 41 95. The other is Cepsa (silver-chrome bottles), who are served by Servigas, in Calle Mirto 1, casa 12, Tel:  952 52 15 93.

(News: Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)