Police issue warning about firewood scams
Posted Oct 20, 2012 07:22:58 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If you don’t have a son or daughter who you feel needs to build character by chopping wood, you probably order firewood and have it delivered but that puts you at risk of being ripped off.
Constable Pierre Bourdages says typically, the cases they investigate involve sellers who post their numbers on the side of the road or online.
He says the only way to know you got what you paid for, is to stack the wood and the scammers know this.
“Often these companies or fraudulent companies will ask you to pay cash before the wood is even unloaded from the truck so once the wood is out, they leave with your money and you’re stuck with what you have,” he explains.
He says the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to use reputable companies, make sure you’re home when it’s delivered, and check the information on the receipt to make sure it isn’t fraudulent.
Bourdages goes on to say it’s hard for police to track down the offenders after the fact.
“Very often, the companies are no longer in existence, they’ve used a false name, a false receipt, a false number so it becomes very difficult to track these companies,” he says.
Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
