Door-to-Door Home Repair Fraud

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SECURITY SYSTEM UPGRADES

A con artists stops and say that he works for your home security system company. He says he needs to upgrade your alarm system.  After examining it, he asks you to  sign a contract agreeing to the upgrade.  The truth is that he works for a different security company and the contract is for two years of service with them.  They charge you more than the old company and you may have to pay a penalty to your prior company for breaking the old contract.

FALLING CHIMNEY

A con man rings your bell says your chimney is separating from the house. He asserts that it could fall on the neighbor’s house or yard.  He offers to secure it.  His men install a useless metal strap around the sound chimney.  They will ask for $800 to $2,000 for their work.

“MY LEG WENT THROUGH YOUR ROOF, SIR!”

A contractor stops and offers to clean your gutters for a modest sum.   Later he will show you a piece of rotten wood and will say that your roof is rotten.  He’ll say that his leg went completely through it.  He gets a crew to install new shingles over your good roof.  They charge you $7,000 to $8,000.

MEALWORM SCAM

The same roof contracting team shows you a bag of worms. They say that the worms are eating the wood in your attic.  They offer to spray the attic for a fee of $1000 to $3000.   The worms are often mealworms used to feed pets.

ATTIC BRACING SCAM

A different con:  the contractors say roof repairs weakened the rafters in your attic. They tell you that they will brace them so the roof does not collapse. They install 2 x 4 studs, and charge $100 for each of these “braces.”  The studs, often called “knees,” may actually lead to damage of the ceilings during high wind or heavy snow.

TOILET BOWL SCAM

A contractor asks to use your bathroom.  He pours water on the floor around the base of the toilet, and then observes that it has been leaking and might have rotted the wood subfloor.   He inspects the crawl space and says that the floor is rotten and must be replaced.  After hanging out in the crawl space and pretending to fix the floor, they charge you several thousand dollars.

 

Acorn wishes to acknowledge the Office of the Attorney General of North Carolina for this valuable content.  If you think a loved one has been victimized, call the NC Attorney General office at 877-5NO-SCAM