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Police warn: Beware of men from Maine with snow shovels

Police in Concord, Bedford and Billerica say stay-at-home residents are being targeted by scammer toughs in trucks with Maine license plates who are going around offering to remove snow, then forcing their elderly and disabled marks to hand over money before they're done. In a statement, the three departments report:

The men offer to remove snow or remove fallen or unwanted trees from the resident's yard. Once the men do a minimal amount of work, they get aggressive and try to get the resident to pay them thousands of dollars before they get suspicious or think better of it.

Police urge residents to be suspicious of door-to-door snow-removal guys, and not to assent to anything without proof of insurance and a business license. And don't pay cash.

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Comments

I wish I could find a legitimate snow removal business that was reliable and affordable. But the only people I've gotten to actually show up were random guys with snowblowers.

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i would give a company like that a lot of my money right now...
if anyone knows of someone who shovels & takes credit cards please list them!

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https://www.facebook.com/BostonFireDepartment/posts/10153167183918169

Still looking for help shoveling? The New England Center for Homeless Veterans has a lot of unemployed, able guys, who would shovel for cash. Ask for the supervisor on duty at the front desk when you call, 617-371-1700.

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Do not pay until the work is completed, and at the outset state you will not pay until the work is completed are more important advice than, "be suspicious of door-to-door snow-removal guys, and not to assent to anything without proof of insurance and a business license. And don't pay cash."

It was the payment before completion, that cost these people. As a parallel there often are home improvement situations where people make certain to get a licensed, insured contractor and the contractor either, gets a 50% deposit and does [no work/less than half the work] or gets partial payments as the work goes along, but vanishes with the payments being further ahead than the work. Given the realities of how much snow removal work is out there contractors who want cash on completion, and do not bring proof of insurance with them, often may be the best option.

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