Protect Yourself
It may be in the morning, afternoon or even during dinner, but I’ll bet some of you won’t get through a day without hearing from an Air Duct Cleaning scam artist. It’s not that your ducts don’t need to be cleaned – definitely call a professional to do that – but there are some questionable business practices at play these days.
How it Works
Using a bait and switch tactic, scammers make cold-calls to customers by spoofing numbers that appear to be local. Once they get a homeowner to pick up the phone, they offer tremendous deals on a service that can cost up to $300-400 for a few hours. The customer is roped in and makes the appointment. However, once the scammer is at their home for the service, they continue to up-sell the victim with extra costs (i.e. disinfectants, pre-washes etc.).
In addition, these scammers will often incorporate another company’s branding in order to get someone to provide personal information or purchase a product or service.
How to Protect Yourself
- If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Cleaning your air ducts can be costly but it’s worth it if you use a reputable company.
- Read the fine print before signing any contracts to make sure you know what the work will entail and what will be included in the price.
- Never share personal information (i.e. social insurance numbers, date of birth, or credit card numbers).
- If you get an unexpected call and get an uneasy feeling from the sales pitch, hang-up immediately.
Courtesy: Homservice Club of Canada