Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos said previous natural disasters had seen rogue scammers engage in fraudulent behaviour such as setting up fake charities or ripping off flood victims via dodgy repair work.
“The behaviour of these fraudsters who seek to profit from other people’s heartbreak is reprehensible and we need to do everything possible to ensure they are caught and face the full force of the law,” Ms Petinos said.
“As we begin the clean-up and rebuild phase, flood-affected residents across the Northern Rivers region need to be wary of unlicensed scammers attempting to rip them off.
"If they badger people or behave in an intimidating or threatening manner to try to get a quote accepted, they should be asked to leave. If they refuse, contact the police.
“NSW Fair Trading is planning to have investigators and inspectors on the ground in areas impacted by floods to ensure residents are being protected.
“If those looking to donate want their money to go to a legitimate individual or organisation, they should go to the Service NSW website and check that it has a charitable fundraising license.”
Figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch website showed there were 92,117 reported scams in NSW in 2021, with the amount lost reaching $110,080,190.
To check the license details of a tradesperson, visit www.onegov.nsw.gov.au/publicregister/#/publicregister/categories
