The police arrested a man from Amsterdam in Tilburg on Saturday evening for fraud. He was working with a fellow local on a plumbing job on Trouwlaan. But when the men were done after fifteen minutes, the resident received a sky-high bill. She didn’t trust it and called the police. When he confronted the duo, the two ran off.
The woman had a job done by the two Amsterdam plumbers. When they were done, the two charged over a thousand euros for it, even though they only had fifteen minutes of work. It was also striking that the woman had to withdraw the amount immediately and did not receive an invoice.
She had a strong feeling that she was being scammed by the plumbers and therefore called the police around half past seven. When the officers arrived at the address, the two Amsterdam residents were still there.
On the run
The police asked the suspects to provide insight into how their company worked, but they did not feel like doing so. After their identities were checked, the two men fled. One of the two alleged scammers was quickly arrested, the other is still on the run.
The police and trade organization Techniek Nederland have been warning for years about rogue electricians, plumbers, roofers and handymen. There are many jerks around who deliver poor work and charge a high amount for it.
Daily phone calls
Techniek Nederland speaks from experience. The trade organization receives people on the phone every day complaining about the ‘professional’ they have hired.
Although the need is sometimes great, Techniek Nederland warns to carefully search for a reliable professional. There are even criminals who have recreated entire websites of plumbing and unblocking companies. They are not ashamed to take photos from other sites. Often one phone call to such a fake company is enough for a sky-high bill, while the problem is often not even resolved.
No ads
The problem is so serious that Google has stopped advertising plumbers in the Netherlands. Since Thursday, no advertisements for these companies can be seen via the search giant and via YouTube. The Consumers’ Association, among others, had asked Google to thwart the scam practices.
Two years ago, Google also decided to ban advertisements for locksmiths. Even then, rogue companies appeared at the top of the results and defrauded their victims of many hundreds of euros.
In the video you can see that there are also cowards among the central heating technicians.