Elderly couple fall prey to roofing scam
An elderly Winder couple is facing $4,000 in repairs to their home after falling victim to a couple of con artists.
Two men came to the victims’ home selling a roof sealing product. The suspects said the product could be sprayed over the entire roof and would prevent leaks. The victims agreed to let the two men spray a test spot, but did not sign a contract and did not agree to any further work.
After borrowing a ladder from the victims, the two men proceeded to spray the entire roof with a black, sticky substance. The men then demanded $759 in payment for their work even though the victims had not agreed to let them do the job.
When the victims said they could not pay, the older of the two men became increasingly agitated and said he would accept $500 for the job. The victims gave the man a check made payable to Jimmy Riley in that amount.
Before the suspects left the scene, the victims asked if the men intended to clean up the mess they had made. During the process of spraying the roof, the suspects had over sprayed the windows, sills, face boards, deck, carport, front steps, air conditioning unit and shrubbery with the black substance. The suspects assured the victims that the substance would come off with water.
The next day, the victims stopped payment on the check.
One of the suspects called the victims demanding to know why they had stopped payment on the check. The victim replied that he would not pay until the men returned and cleaned up the mess they had made. The victim said the suspect’s reply was inaudible.
The victims described the older suspect as a white male approximately 60 years old with gray hair. The man said his name was Howard and he was wearing a blue Southern Methodist t-shirt with dress pants. The younger suspect was described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, six feet tall and 180 pounds. The younger man was wearing an orange Riley paving t-shirt.
The suspects were last seen in a white pickup with a broken passenger side mirror secured by tape.
After borrowing a ladder from the victims, the two men proceeded to spray the entire roof with a black, sticky substance. The men then demanded $759 in payment for their work even though the victims had not agreed to let them do the job.
When the victims said they could not pay, the older of the two men became increasingly agitated and said he would accept $500 for the job. The victims gave the man a check made payable to Jimmy Riley in that amount.
Before the suspects left the scene, the victims asked if the men intended to clean up the mess they had made. During the process of spraying the roof, the suspects had over sprayed the windows, sills, face boards, deck, carport, front steps, air conditioning unit and shrubbery with the black substance. The suspects assured the victims that the substance would come off with water.
The next day, the victims stopped payment on the check.
One of the suspects called the victims demanding to know why they had stopped payment on the check. The victim replied that he would not pay until the men returned and cleaned up the mess they had made. The victim said the suspect’s reply was inaudible.
The victims described the older suspect as a white male approximately 60 years old with gray hair. The man said his name was Howard and he was wearing a blue Southern Methodist t-shirt with dress pants. The younger suspect was described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, six feet tall and 180 pounds. The younger man was wearing an orange Riley paving t-shirt.
The suspects were last seen in a white pickup with a broken passenger side mirror secured by tape.
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#1
Bill Mitchell
on
09/30/09 at 03:42 PM
[Reply]
This is a very common occurrence. Very often, the scammers look for older homeowners who are unable to physically view the roofing "renovation" and fall prey to the finished appearance. Rarely are structural problems addressed or solved. The most common scam involves using used motor oil to spray the roof, giving a finished look which lasts for a few days.