PHILIPSBURG–The Police Fraud Department and the General Criminal Investigation Department received numerous reports regarding construction fraud in the past four months of this year.
According to the reports, many citizens hire persons or contractors to carry out construction work. After receiving part of the budgeted amount for the construction, these persons or contractors no longer appear to do the work or complete the work they are supposed to do. In most cases, they are foreigners and use bogus companies that are not registered in St. Maarten, according to police on Tuesday.
After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) posted a message that citizens should be vigilant and cautious about with whom they do business and should investigate before hiring any persons or companies. They should request copies of a valid business licence and a current COCI registration to verify that the company is legally established in St. Maarten.
Most of the companies involved in this criminal act are not registered at the Chamber and not licensed to do business in St. Maarten. Many of these companies may also advertise vacancies to hire local workers, so those seeking employment are also urged to be very cautious, reported police on Tuesday.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/86700-beware-of-unlicensed-contractors-say-police
View comments
Hide comments