Big Island police have received complaints about unlicensed contractors soliciting elderly residents to hire them for various residential projects such as power washing and painting homes, paving driveways, and performing auto body and mechanical repairs.
Big Island police have received complaints about unlicensed contractors soliciting elderly residents to hire them for various residential projects such as power washing and painting homes, paving driveways, and performing auto body and mechanical repairs.
The scam appears to begin when an unlicensed contractor offers his services to perform the work and asks for full payment, often claiming that material and supplies need to be purchased in advance, according to the Hawaii Police Department. The potential victim verbally agrees and often pays the subject, who completes only a portion of the agreed-upon work and leaves, claiming he will return later to complete the job. The victim makes several attempts to contact the subject, who never returns to complete the job.
A variation on this scam is one in which the victim makes full payment in advance and then receives shoddy results or no work at all, according to the department.
In a Wednesday incident, an 87-year-old man reported that he was approached by a couple who offered to power wash his roof, according to police. After agreeing on a price, the woman said she needed to go into the victim’s house to shut the windows to prevent water from entering.
The victim was then distracted by the man while the woman remained in the house. After the couple left, without completing the job, the victim discovered several valuables were missing.
Police caution the public against agreeing to having residential improvements done without first conducting their own research. Consumers should ask for documents of identification from the individuals performing any work and only sign a written contract that specifies conditions of the project, including a deadline.
Anyone who may have been victimized in a similar scam should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311 or go to the nearest police station to file a complaint.
Consumers may also call the the state Regulated Industries Complaints Office 587-3222 or visit hawaii.gov/dcca/rico/.