Undercover, unlicensed contractor sting in Pinellas County leads to nearly 40 arrests: Theyre just thieves [Video]

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Since the back-to-back hurricanes, there have been a lot of signs in the roadway medians advertising contractor services, but many are taking advantage of people during their most desperate times. Law enforcement officials set up an unlicensed contractor sting in Pinellas County that led to the arrests of nearly 40 people over two days.

During a press conference on Thursday, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said teams of undercover detectives were staged at various locations and were visited by unlicensed contractors.

According to Gualtieri, unlicensed people offered to do more than 15 different types of construction projects totaling more than $100K worth of work.

“A lot of these people are desperate and vulnerable because they just want their stuff fixed and, unfortunately, the adage, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” the sheriff said.

READ: More than 100 accused of targeting storm victims …