Sarasota County Sheriff warns people of SCAMS that are everywhere 

At this time, when our community is exceptionally vulnerable, we at SCSO urge citizens to be diligent and aware that SCAMS are everywhere. After every storm we warn of construction scams, and Hurricane Helene has left many of us in need of construction work on our homes and looking for help.

In addition to the assorted and unfortunately familiar construction SCAMS, we are being told that residents are being approached by some who warn that “debris needs to be tested for contamination before removal”, and then charge for testing and removal of “contaminated” debris. This is a SCAM.

Testing of debris is not required, and paying someone to test or remove your contaminated debris is just another type of SCAM. If you want to pay someone to remove your debris, that is up to you but required testing and subsequent removal of this debris labeled contaminated is NOT something you are REQUIRED to do.

See a list below of reminders and tips to help you avoid being scammed, and if you think you might be getting scammed, please report the issue to SCSO. We are working together with the Attorney General’s Office, Florida Sheriffs Association, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to get the word out about SCAMS, so that we can protect our citizens, help our community recover quickly, and STOP the SCAMMERS.

Before you hire, look for these red flags that you are falling for a construction/storm-related SCAM:

• Missing license information

• Extremely low prices

• Using a P.O. Box instead of a street address

• Requests for Large Upfront Payments

• Unmarked Vehicles with out-of-state tags

• Trying to avoid pulling a permit

• Won’t provide a written agreement

Additional reminders:

• There is no requirement for debris to be “tested for contamination.”

• There is no requirement for paid removal of “contaminated” debris.

To verify that contractors are licensed — click this link for the FL Department of Business and Professional Regulation: https://bit.ly/46X2VRc