It's happening so often that one lawn care business owner said, “It's hard to believe that the people reaching out and making the decisions are actually homeowners.” .
DES MOINES, Iowa — Leah Ackerman of Manscapes Lawn Care in Des Moines says she and her partners receive a lot of calls about their services, but most recently the messages have been “strangely worded.” Told.
That's because scammers have begun targeting Ackerman and other small local businesses offering similar services in the area. The scam-like messages started in his 2020, but potential customers have essentially been following the couple as they arrived at their home for a quote.
“There was a 'For Sale' sign in front of the store,” Ackerman said of a recent estimate his partners had made. ”[The home] It looked so well organized that I was like, “Looks like we don't need our help here.” So he decided to ring the doorbell. ”
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But no one answered the door. Ackerman's partner then called the homeowner listing agent listed on the sign, who confirmed that the number was “incorrect” and that the customer had never requested lawn service. .
Ackerman told Local 5 News that the phone numbers sending these fraudulent messages typically have out-of-state area codes. She doesn't want to think it's a scam message because she's saying, “You're going to do everything you can to help someone.”
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It's an ongoing scam that raises other concerns for Ackerman.
“The bigger concern is the safety factor,” she explained. “In this case, someone went to a house. Let's say there was a confused and angry homeowner. Someone came to the door and said, 'You called me here.' ” Now you can see where there is potential for conflict or conflict. ”
