Beware of scammers
Police say to be wary of group offering to do various work
Scammers are knocking on doors and offering to complete work around the house, allegedly leaving some victims more than $10,000 worse off.
The warning comes after detectives charged four men and one teenage boy this week with fraud offences which were allegedly committed through unlawful business activities in the greater Cairns area this year.
Police will allege the group approached business owners in Tolga and Portsmith between May 24 and May 26, before entering into agreements to lay bitumen on driveways.
It will be alleged business owners paid in full upfront before disputing the quality of work carried out.
Cairns police Detective Acting Inspector Jason Chetham said there were some obvious “danger signs” to keep an eye out for.
“If anyone approaches you to do work unsolicited at your house, that’s a red flag straight away,” Inspector Chetham said.
“Another danger sign is people asking for payment upfront.” He said it would be alleged that one individual had handed over $14,000 upfront.
“All kinds of unsolicited house work, including fixing roofs, are red flags,” he said.
“There isn’t a group targeted, everyone is susceptible and they’ll target anyone.
“We’ve already had a number of complaints and we think there’ll be more of these in the community, both in Cairns and up on the Tablelands.”
A Queensland Police spokesman said there are some other direct warning signs.
“Some more warnings include being unable to provide you (with) any identification or give you contact information or receipts,” he said.
“They might demand that you decide to accept their offer on the spot or pay either a deposit or the full payment first.”
Cairns police urge anyone with information of similar problems to come forward.