ABILENE Texas (KTAB/KRBC)- Spring in Texas means changing temperatures, a bit more sun, and at the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a chance to catch construction scams before they happen.
According to Abilene BBB president John Riggins, construction scams pop up every spring, but the recent property damage and loss due to wildfire may cause an increase in their frequency.
“Don’t give a large percent of the money in advance to companies unknown to you,” Riggins says.
Any company demanding a large up-front fee should raise red flags, according to Riggins. It’s happened before and the BBB is hoping to stop it from happening again.
“Last year, for example, a person gave $33,000 in advance to get a new house built. That money’s gone now. They didn’t get their house built and the people they gave money to has basically ghosted them they cant find them,” says Riggins.
One way to verify a contractor is on the BBB.org website. There you can find local accredited businesses and contractors as well as accounts of scammers who have been complained about in your area before.
“Please check BBB.org before you do business. Find out how long they’ve been in business and check out their finished work that they’ve done locally,” Riggins says.
