The Hollister Police Department on Wednesday announced it partnered with a state agency on a contractor sting at a home in the city.
According to the full announcement:
Hollister Police worked with the Contractor State License Board to conduct a sting in Hollister resulting in 11 citations.
On December 2nd and 3rd, The Hollister Police Department partnered with the Contractors State License Board’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) and the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office to conduct a sting at a home in the City of Hollister.
SWIFT investigators posed as the owners of the home with a list of improvement projects. Using a list of leads compiled from newspaper ads, online advertising and other means, they invited suspected unlicensed contractors in the area to stop by and give estimates.
The Contractors State License Board issued a press release advising 11 persons being cited for various charges in violation of the state contractor licensing laws.
The people cited were given notices to appear in San Benito County Superior Court.
Every years hundreds of people throughout the state fall victim of unscrupulous and often unlicensed contractors. The Hollister Police Department is grateful the SWIFT team selected Hollister for one of their operations and we look forward to working with them in the future.
CSLB encourages consumers to always “Check the license first” by visiting www.cslb.ca.gov or calling its toll-free automated line: 800-321-CSLB (2752). Also, visit CSLB’s website for tips about how to hire a contractor and sign up for CSLB Email Alerts.
The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. CSLB licenses and regulates almost 290,000 contractors in California. In fiscal year 2014-2015, CSLB helped recover nearly $68 million in ordered restitution for consumers.
