Crime & Safety
Melrose Police Warn Of Chimney Sweep Scams
Police said they are investigating after two recent incidents of attempted scams.
MELROSE, MA — Melrose Police on Thursday warned of would-be scammers trying to fool local residents with what police described as "chimney sweep scams."
Police said two Melrose residents have recently been approached by such individuals.
Melrose Police said they are now investigating the situation, inviting anyone with information about these incidents or individuals involved to call police at 781-665-1212.
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Common home improvement scams, police said, can see scammers approach homeowners saying they need chimney repairs. The scams can often target elderly homeowners, with scammers offering low prices for work, only to surge their prices once they claim to find additional problems.
“Once homeowners decline to pay up front for increasingly expensive work, the scammers often disappear and leave work they started unfinished,” Melrose Police said on Thursday.
Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Police offered a series of tips as provided by the office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation to help avoid home improvement scams.
See a full list of tips here.
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