By Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter
Halton Police again caution residents about the region’s ongoing home repair fraud scheme. The scam involves individuals posing as contractors who go door-to-door, offering unsolicited services to homeowners. These services encompass a range of home repairs, including chimney maintenance, masonry work, driveway and step repairs, debris cleaning, roof repairs, and waterproofing.
The fraudulent contractors typically provide quotes with prices that appear significantly lower than the market value. Once an agreement is reached, they request a substantial cash payment upfront. Initial work may commence in some cases, but the crew never returns to complete the agreed-upon job. Subsequently, homeowners may be approached for more money for supplies or to fulfill the total project payment. Once additional payments are made, the contractors vanish, becoming unresponsive to calls and messages, leaving the homeowner with a partially completed or damaged project.
This deceptive modus operandi has led to multiple complaints involving similar suspects in Halton, with recent weeks seeing a surge in complaints from Burlington. Halton Police suspect there may be additional victims in Halton and areas beyond the region.
The suspect is described as a middle-aged white male with a distinctive heavy Irish accent. It’s worth noting that a similar scam was under investigation by Halton Police during the summer of 2022 and earlier this year in July 2023.
Individuals engaged in these types of scams tend to be aggressive and eager to secure an initial cash deposit from their victims. They often accompany their door-to-door sales pitches with business cards, pamphlets, and printed contracts. Residents are urged to remain vigilant and exercise caution when approached with unsolicited home repair services.
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