BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — As communities continue to clean up after the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office warns storm victims about scammers who might try to take advantage of people in need.
If someone offers you a paid service like tree cleanup or roof repair, Lt. Shannon Jenkins and Sheriff Shawn Holloway advise caution, as scammers might use those services to target vulnerable people.
Some ways you can confirm a paid service is legit are by making sure it's a credible company by checking the business's website and researching their credentials.
“You have to utilize word of mouth for some of the smaller businesses because, obviously, we want to be able to support all of our local businesses, especially during this time,” Jenkins said. “… Just looking for some of that credibility, word of mouth, some of them have social media pages, look that up.”
Jenkins and Holloway say one of the telltale signs of a scam is the person asking for payment upfront.
“Don’t pay for a service until it's been rendered for you,” Holloway said. “That's how a lot of people get scammed.”
He added most businesses will provide the service before sending a bill or invoice.
If you think a service might be a scam, Jenkins and Holloway encourage you to call the sheriff’s office and they’ll look into it.
They also encourage anyone with storm damage to report it on the county website so they can get the help they need.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.