In the past few weeks, the Amarillo Police Department has received complaints on individuals doing landscape and tree trimming work. The “victims” in these cases were approached by an individual/s offering to do some tree trimming or some spraying for various insects. Shortly after beginning the work, the worker approaches the homeowner stating that some of their equipment has broke and they need to be paid in advance to get the equipment fixed and will return shortly. The homeowner agrees to pay in advance and the worker takes the money and never returns. Most of this type of business transaction becomes a civil dispute between a company and an individual and not a criminal matter. Unfortunately the people doing this type of “work” know that law enforcement are generally unable to file criminal charges on the suspect and the homeowner’s only option to get some of their money back is to file a law suit through the small claims court.
Please be very careful paying for any type of service in advance. Most reputable businesses do not require payments in advance. Also check references or contact the Better Business Bureau to check their work history.
