City Warns Residents of Air Duct Maintenance Scam

The issued an alert today warning residents about an air duct maintenance scam that was recently reported by a city resident.

The Cerritos resident recently received a phone call from a company offering air duct maintenance services, and falsely claimed that the city endorses its services.

"The city of Cerritos does not endorse any air duct maintenance company," a city issued statement read.

The same company also falsely claimed that the Environmental Protection Agency recommends that people have their home's air ducts cleaned.

The EPA lists the following air duct cleaning information on its website:

“Knowledge about air duct cleaning is in its early stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered as to whether you should have your air ducts in your home cleaned... Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space.”

For more information, visit epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html.

If you or someone you know receives a similar call from an air duct maintenance company, the city asks that you write down as much information from the call as you can and report it to the Community Safety Division at (562) 916-1266.