Earlier this year, we alerted you to a pine straw scam in Putnam County. However, this scam is does not appear to be isolated to one area of the state and has been reported from metro Atlanta to Albany.
The Scam: The scammers come up to your door and offer to lay pine straw throughout the yard or property $5 per barrel. After they finish, the scammer will come back to your door with a handful of bale ties and claim it took hundreds more bales than usual and charge thousands of dollars.
In Roswell: According to the Roswell Police Department, the most recent victim in the city was an elderly resident who was charged $2,700 for her lawn.
In Albany: The Albany Police report that a victim there was charged $5,000 for pine straw.
What you can do: It’s best practice to hire only reputable workers, and avoid unsolicited offers unless a final price is agreed upon up front
Roswell, Albany, and most cities and counties in the state require solicitors to be permitted and to be able to show their permit when a potential customer requests it.
Get More Context: With the barrage of information coming through your social media feeds and phone notifications, it can be hard to get a clear picture of what’s happening in your community and throughout the state. Click here to see what else is happening in The Peach State and get your news in context instead of relying on social media feeds and notifications for your news. We’ll help you stay informed.
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