General News
2 February, 2023
Police investigate alleged cleaning scam
Residents are urged to be mindful of scams as police continue to investigate a cleaning business suspected of fraudulent behaviour after receiving reports from locals. The provider of a cleaning service, advertised through the Maryborough Buy Swap...
Residents are urged to be mindful of scams as police continue to investigate a cleaning business suspected of fraudulent behaviour after receiving reports from locals.
The provider of a cleaning service, advertised through the Maryborough Buy Swap and Sell Facebook page, has been interviewed by the authorities in relation to the alleged scams — the person has been released, pending further investigation according to the police.
The case was brought to the attention of Maryborough Police Senior Constable Giuseppe Conti in December last year — he said he believes there are a lot more victims involved that haven’t come forward to the police.
“I’ve been speaking to the victims quite extensively and a witness has said that there are other victims involved,” he said.
“Two people have come forward so far. It’s just a matter of getting people to come forward and speak to us about it.”
Sen Con Conti said that it was important for those affected by the scam to contact the police since it has impacted other people’s financial abilities and could help bring the relevant individual to justice.
“Not a lot of people have a lot of money and the amount of money that’s being exchanged is in the hundreds of dollars. So it significantly impacts a household either on a weekly or fortnightly basis depending on how they get paid,” he said.
“Between $300 to $700 is the money that’s been scammed out of people.
“We need to bring this person to justice for not just one or two crimes, [they need to be held accountable for everything they’ve done]. And secondly, to prevent them from doing it in the future and to try and recuperate the loss of money for victims.”
Asking locals to remain vigilant of scams, Sen Con Conti is calling on other victims of the cleaning business to get in touch with the police.
“I’m just urging the public to be mindful of potential scams over the internet and just make sure they vet the companies that they’re engaging for services and for any victims to come forward to police and report any scams,” he said.
If you are a victim or know of a person who has fallen victim to the scam, contact the Maryborough Police Station on 5460-3300.