Unlicensed Contractors
All general contractors, who are not certified, must be obtain a competency card from the City of Fort Pierce in order to do work in within city limits. If you are interested in someone repairing your home, you are urged to call the building department at City Hall, 772-460-2200. You can also check the Better Business Bureaus's web site to see if any complaints have been filed against the company.
Mail Theft
If you are a resident who uses your road-side mailbox to pay your bills, please be aware that there are individuals who are scanning our neighborhoods to see who has placed mail in there boxes. The suspects, who are from Dade County, remove your mail while pretending to put something in your mail box. The suspects are looking for your personal checks. To be on the safe side, police recommend that you take your mail to the nearest postal drop box or to the post office.
Internet Scams
Families of US soldiers killed overseas are being targeted. The scam seeks personal and financial information by telling the family that the e-mailer, too, lost a friend on the battlefield who was acquainted with the contacted family’s lost loved one and asks for donations for the fallen comrade.
Phishing is a scam that mimics well-known organizations or companies by using their graphics to appear to be legitimate. The e-mail will ask for account information, social security numbers, etc. Phishers have imitated: Citibank, FDIC, AOL, VISA, Microsoft and more.
Auction scams have the winning bidder sending a check to the seller that is well over the winning amount and requesting that the difference be wired back to them. The original check used is forged and worthless.
The “Winning Lottery” scam comes via an e-mail telling you that you have won the South African Lottery and a payment of the “government tax” is required before you can receive your winnings. Another version requires you to give your bank account number for deposit of the winnings.
