Beware of Landscaper Scammers, Officials Say

Landscaping scams in the South Bay area prompted law enforcement officials to team up and produce a public safety announcement.

It’s a short video, attached to this article, that cautions people to be wary of criminals who knock on their door posing as gardeners, tree trimmers or landscapers, according to a spokesman the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

“The weather is warming. Your trees and bushes are green and growing,’’ Deputy District Attorney Janet Berry said in a statement. “But there is a dark side to the warming weather and I’m not talking about snails or slugs. Scammers pretending to be landscapers are busy at work throughout the county. And they are targeting elderly homeowners.”

The scammers promise to do the yard work, but take money up front, don’t complete the work and vanish.

Gilroy Police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao, who appears in the video with Berry, warns that the old adage of if it seems too good to be true, that’s probably the case.

The DA’s office and Gilroy Police offer this advice:

Here are three signs you may be getting scammed:

• A landscaper, often wearing work clothes, comes to the door without being called.
• He offers to trim trees, repair your lawn or other landscaping services for a low price.
• He wants money up front.

Three preventive tips:

• NEVER hire someone who comes unannounced to your door. Don’t even open the door to them and certainly don’t let them in your house. Just say, “No thank you.”
• Talk to your friends and neighbors to put together a list of reliable gardeners, landscapers, and home repair businesses to have on hand when you need some work done.
• When you are deciding on whom to hire, get references. Call them.

If you feel that you have been a victim of this type of scam, call your local police department. The video, was created by KMVT Silicon Valley Media in Mountain View, and includes the DA elder fraud number: 1-855-DA ELDER.

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