Summer scams to watch out for
Summer time is when most people venture out into their yards and around the house and begin the various projects that have been piling up over the winter months in our area. Whether its simple landscaping or more detailed plans, people in our county begin working around their homes and is often an enjoyable time for many. Unfortunately , summer also brings in the season when many con artists and home repair and diversion thieves make their rounds across the country.
These thieves often look to take advantage of the good nature of other people for their personal profit and in many cases, they will target the elderly residents of an area to make a quick dollar. They move throughout the country and will stop in certain areas only long enough to pull whatever money making scheme they are running and then leave and move on to the next place.
There are certain types of common thefts that these con artists commit. Home repair scams are a constant and can range from seal coating your asphalt driveway to painting, roofing, and even the installation of unnecessary equipment, such as lightning rods. Here’s how a typical scam will work. Someone comes to your home unsolicited and states that they were doing work in the area and they have an extra amount of material from that project and they will perform work for you, say re-seal your driveway, for a fraction of the cost, just to get rid of the extra material. A price is agreed upon and the person starts to do the work but before completing or sometimes after completing the job, the person tells you that it cost him more than he originally thought and they will need additional money. It’s at this time that the person becomes more aggressive and demands more money and says that the work is done or he can’t complete it until he gets more money from the person, which they often will pay.
Now the works been done and they scam artist leaves and you discover the shoddy craftsmanship and materials that they actually used and often in the case of driveway re-sealing, the sealant is a cheap oil based substance that washes away after the first rain and the person is long gone.
The message to be garnered here is to not be pressured into having work done at your residence by anyone. If someone approaches you at home with a similar proposition and you are unsure, here are some things to look for. See if they purport to be from the area or from a local business. Often, they will be driving a pickup truck with out of state license plate and have no type of signage on the side of the truck denoting a company that they work for or claim to work for. Often there will be more than one person but only one will speak with you and the other may remain in the vehicle. If you feel suspicious about what they are proposing, call a neighbor or relative who lives near by and have them come to the house. Attention is the last thing these people are looking for. Ask for identification and ask what company they work for and a telephone number to verify the same and if it’s not a local telephone number, you should wonder why. A representative from a legitimate business should have no problem with you verifying their information and should provide you with a free estimate for any work they are looking to do and allow you to decide and recontact them.
The other type of crime that is associated with home improvement scams is called a diversion theft. Just like it sounds, someone comes to your door and states that they are with a company and working in the area and would like to give you an estimate for work and they want to examine walls in your basement or ceilings in the upstairs of your home and they attempt to talk their way into the house and have you accompany them into another part of the house. Once there, a second person enters the home and while the first person is keeping you busy “examining” your home, the other person goes through your personal belongings and steals money, jewelry, and other valuables. Many times these people will even pose as utility workers to gain access to your home and give reasons to enter such as checking for gas leaks and/or having to check meters or electrical boxes.
If someone states that they are from a utility company and wants to enter your home – make sure they are who they say they are. Ask for identification – utility company employees will have some form of work identification. Call the utility company and ask them if they have workers in the area. See if the vehicle they are driving has any signage from that company or if you even see a vehicle in the area because many times they will park down the street and come to your home on foot. Know what utility companies, such as gas, electric, and water, service your area. If the person at your door is from a utility company, they will respect your requests and wait for you to verify who they are before proceeding. Again, this is a type of crime that targets the elderly residents in our county and if you feel unsure about the situation, call for a relative or neighbor to come over with you. If one of your elderly neighbors is having work done on their home that they didn’t tell you about, like having a driveway re-sealed, check on them and make sure that the work being done is legitimate. Many elderly persons won’t question what the scam artist is telling them and that is why these thieves target them so highly.
Summer is an enjoyable time for the residents of Fayette County and the chance to be outdoors and working around the home or just being outside in the sun is something that everyone can do to relax. There are a lot of legitimate remodeling companies and various contractors in our region, who do quality work for our residents. The purpose of this article is to warn you about those persons who come into our area for the sole reason of scamming the residents out of their money with shoddy materials and bogus claims and even for a chance to enter your home and steal your valuables. Be aware of what’s out there and don’t be afraid to ask questions or call someone.