Police are warning people to be vigilant after a report an aggressive bogus caller claiming to be a bailiff and entering a property wearing a bulletproof vest.

A man is said to have knocked on a house in Couzins Walk, Dartford, earlier this month claiming he was a bailiff and that the homeowner owed nearly £600 in an unpaid fine.

The man entered the resident’s property but became aggressive when the resident asked why he did not have the correct paperwork with him.

The man showed the resident an iPad with the resident’s name on.

However it was incorrect, and the man left the house.

The resident, who took the man’s name from an ID badge, called the company he claimed to be from and staff there confirmed they had no-one of that name, and did not have the resident’s address on their system.

The man, who was dressed in what appeared to be a company uniform, was also reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest and jeans.

He is described as white, tall with a stocky build and aged in his thirties with a strong English accent.

He told the resident he was wearing a body worn camera.

DS Beverley Morrison said: “We are treating this as an isolated case and while we do not want to make people worry we would like to use this opportunity to raise awareness and to just remind people how they can stay safer in their homes.”

Representatives from water, gas and electric companies rarely visit without appointments.

Stay safe by remembering some key pieces of advice:

• Lock back doors and windows before answering a front door – thieves are known to work in pairs, one entering through the back door while the other knocks at the front.
• Use a spyhole and ask who the caller is through the door first, then keep the door on the chain.
• Check identification, even if it is a pre-arranged appointment.
• If a caller is not expected and they do not carry an ID card, do not let them in. Even if they do they may not be who they say they are.
• To check a caller is genuine, residents can look up the number in the phone book or a recent bill and check it against the card the caller has on them. Don’t just ring the number on the card - it may be fake.
• If there are any doubts to whether the caller is genuine, ask them to leave and arrange a date and time for them to come back.

Anyone who thinks they may have had a bogus caller can call 101 to report the incident or 999 in an emergency.