CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --It hasn’t been all that cold yet, but real winter is bound to arrive sooner or later and the Better Business Bureau says, so will the scammers.
“It’s very disheartening every year to hear from consumers who are robbed, because they are misled by a fake utility worker," said Steve Bernas, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois.
You’ve been meaning to get your furnace checked and then out of the blue, one day somebody shows up at your front door - offering to check out your heating system.
“What happens though, is they start demanding cash up front and then sometimes they say they need to see your equipment", Bernas said.
"And sometimes consumers say they’ve done damage or took it apart and didn’t put it back together right.”
Bernas recommends that homeowners should call the utility company before opening the door to whoever’s there - no matter what they’ve told you when they knock.
“Just because somebody knocks at your door, doesn’t mean you have to let them into your house without doing research on them," he said.
“If they say it’s an emergency, then guess what. Then call 911 if it’s an emergency. And see how fast they run away.”
Bernas said the Better Business Bureau has done the research - so start with bbb.org.
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