Strathfield Council is warning residents of a tree lopping scam, where two people who claim to be either Council staff or are Council representatives, are requesting payment for lopping branches that are overhanging onto a resident’s property, despite not receiving permission to undertake the work.

In the most recent case, two men knocked on a resident’s door claiming to be from Council. While one of the men stayed with the resident, the other then proceeded to lop five small branches without receiving the resident’s permission. When finished, the two men then requested $1 300 as payment for the work, to be paid by cash cheque. When the resident refused to pay, a “discount” was offered with the outstanding sum coming down to $600.

Suspicious, the resident called Council, and subsequently, Council reported the incident to Flemington Local Area Command.

Council does not carry out any repairs, maintenance or tree lopping to private residences.  If you are asked to pay for services from people purporting to be involved with Council you should contact the police immediately.

For more information on Council’s Tree Preservation Order, visit www.strathfield.nsw.gov.au or phone Council’s Customer Service Centre on 9748 9999.