Looking for an emergency plumber? Please read this first.
If you searched for an “emergency plumber” or a “plumber near me”, you may be one click away from an organised scam. This web address once belonged to a real plumber — names like it get bought up and used by operations that run ads to reach you in a crisis and charge you thousands.
Names & numbers reported by the public
So people know what to avoid: members of the public have reported the following Google business profiles and phone numbers in connection with these allegations. One operator is reported to use many names and an ever-changing set of numbers, so this list is not exhaustive — and a business sharing one of these names may be entirely legitimate and unconnected.
Plumbing names reported
- George the Plumber reported live at georgetheplumberltd.co.uk
- UBR Plumbing Ltd
- SSI Plumbing Ltd
- Central City Plumbers Limited
- Pipe Fix Pro Ltd shares a contact number with 247 Fair and Flex
- 247 Fair and Flex Plumbing & Drainage
- Kings Plumbing & Drainage reported as also trading as Reyan Plumbing
- Prime Plumbing 247
Electrical names reported
- Sparky4You Emergency Electrician
- Robinson Electrical 24/7 Ltd
Domain reported
- georgetheplumberltd.co.uk
A note on names
These operators also copy the names of genuine, well-reviewed plumbers. If you find a real local business with the same name, it is almost certainly not connected — always check before judging.
Phone numbers reported for one operator (“endless phone numbers”)
Watch: the investigation
An investigation into an Albanian-linked network reported to defraud people across Britain through fake “emergency” plumbing, electrical and locksmith services.
▶ Watch the full investigation on YouTubeThe documentary is hosted on YouTube (the content owner has disabled embedding elsewhere). Click above, or open it directly on YouTube.
How the scam works
These are not local one-person plumbers having a bad day. They are structured operations — often coordinated from a call centre abroad — that treat “24/7 emergency” search results as a funnel:
- They capture you online. They run Google ads and set up dozens of company names and websites, so whatever you search — emergency plumber, plumber near me, burst pipe, boiler, blocked drain — you land on one of theirs. Positive reviews are often faked.
- A distant call centre answers. You think you are calling a local tradesperson. The person quoting the job may be in another country, reading from a script.
- An untrained worker is sent. The job is sold on to whoever is nearby, with instructions to make it sound bigger than it is.
- The price explodes on your doorstep. A £35–£99 call-out becomes hundreds per hour plus “fees” — bills of £1,000–£9,000 for minor work, sometimes for “no fault found”.
- You are pressured to pay now. They push for bank transfer (hard to reverse), refuse to leave, film your “consent”, and target elderly or vulnerable people.
What people are reporting
These accounts were posted publicly by members of the public in UK community groups (Gloucester Community Notice Board and others). They are shared here as consumer warnings, in the words of the people who wrote them.
“£650 to fix a leaking pipe. £48 call-out, then 2 hours labour at £219 per hour, plus VAT. After they do the work he makes you sign paper to say you accept the bill… ‘see, now it’s all legal’. They are very well practiced at ripping people off.”
— Member of the public, Gloucester Community Notice Board (Facebook), re. “George the Plumber”
“For briefly cleaning and tightening a bath drain, a few minutes’ work: £405.60 including VAT. Also offered to do it for £371.80 if I paid by bank transfer to his personal account.”
— Member of the public, Clacton (Facebook), quote under “Prime Plumbing 247”
“I have just had the same happen to me in Taunton, at the cost of £800 for a simple fix. I am contacting Trading Standards.”
— Member of the public, Taunton (Facebook)
“My mum has just had a similar experience in Hockley, Essex. She is 76 and is too scared to report it. Something needs to be done. It’s disgusting.”
— Member of the public, Hockley, Essex (Facebook)
“If you run ads as a legitimate business you get harassed with negative reviews, threatened over the phone, and sent fake leads that waste your time. Never, ever click the sponsored results when it comes to emergencies or any trades work.”
— A UK trades business owner (Facebook)
How to find a genuine plumber and stay safe
- Scroll past the “Sponsored” ads. The results marked Sponsored or Ad at the very top of Google are paid placements — exactly where these operations spend their money. Look below them for genuine local businesses.
- Use a recognised, independent register. For anything gas, check the engineer on the official Gas Safe Register and ask to see their Gas Safe ID card.
- Get the price in writing first — call-out fee, hourly rate and an estimate — before anyone starts work.
- Pay by card, not bank transfer. Card payments give you protection; a transfer is almost impossible to get back. Never pay into someone’s “personal account”.
- Never feel forced. A genuine tradesperson will let you take your time and get a second opinion.
- Check the company exists. A real business has a verifiable address and Companies House number — look it up before they arrive if you can.
Warning signs
- A tiny advertised call-out price, but vague hourly rates and “admin fees”
- Refusal to give a clear written quote before starting
- Heavy pressure to pay immediately, by bank transfer, into a personal account
- The price keeps climbing once work has begun
- Being asked to sign a form accepting the bill, then told “now it’s all legal”
- No verifiable local address, no company number, or they can’t say who employs them
If this has happened to you
You are not alone, and it is not your fault. Reporting helps protect the next person:
- Action Fraud (England, Wales & NI) — actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
- Citizens Advice consumer helpline — 0808 223 1133 (they pass reports to Trading Standards).
- Your bank — if you paid by card or transfer, contact them immediately about a chargeback or fraud claim.
- Report the ad to Google — use the “Why this ad?” / report option on the sponsored result.
Sources
Pamfleti anti-mafia investigation · UK Companies House · OpenCorporates Albania · public reviews (Trustpilot, Google, Facebook community groups) · and primary evidence held by a UK business the network targeted. A fuller dossier is maintained privately and shared with authorities on request.