MONETTE, Ark. — Monette, Arkansas mayor says his community has “enough on their plates” trying to recover from Friday’s killer tornado, and the last thing people need are contractors ripping them off.
Monette was rocked by the killer tornado that left one nursing home resident dead, several injured and homes damaged. Monette Mayor Bob Blakenship said he has already received a report of an older man who was almost victimized while putting a tarp on his own roof, which was damaged by wind.
“Two individuals stopped and said they were contractors and said they would install that tarp on his house for a thousand dollars, and they wanted their money up front,” Mayor Blakenship said.
The man did not give him the money, and the pair left.
In another case, the mayor said a man representing himself as a contractor got a tarp from the Monette Fire Department saying he was going to cover someone’s roof. Instead, he swiped the tarp.
If you’re here for something honest, we’re not going to stop you, we want you to help us.,” Mayor Blakenship said. “But if you’re here trying to take advantage of people, we want you to leave town.”
The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South warns storm victims that scammers seem to show up as soon as the wind stops blowing. The scammers usually pressure their victims into making a quick decision and convince them to paying cash up front before any work is done.
You can contact Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South to check out businesses before you hire them on the website at www.bbb.org.
You can also contact the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board for tips on how not to get scammed following a disaster at aclb.arkansas.gov.