Watch out for Home Repair Scams

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is cautioning citizens about individuals coming to their homes seeking to do maintenance work, explains Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt. “We are issuing this release outside of our normal monthly scams update in order to make our citizens aware of what we have been hearing. We have issued releases under these circumstances before and we always recommend to our citizens that if they are seeking to have work done on their homes or property to make sure to do their homework up front. They need to get some estimates from reputable companies or businesses that are recommended to them by a trusted family member or friend or through their own research. Never allow anyone who comes to your residence without being solicited by you to perform work for you without getting that estimate first and making sure they are a solid company or business that is licensed and bonded and never pay any money up front. In some cases we have seen, individuals may do shoddy work but they do not overcharge for that work. In that case, it is not a criminal case but a civil case if someone does work and money is paid, at least partially to do that work and the homeowner seeks a legal remedy in that regard.” Deputies have received word of a couple of instances in which individuals have come to homes of a couple of citizens seeking to do work on the homeowners driveways.