This takes porch pirates to a whole new level. In Orange County, Florida, Amanda Brochu came home and found that her entire driveway had been stolen. According to Brochu, the problems started when she listed her house for sale in December. Once that happened, contractors started “measuring her driveway for a replacement project she’d never asked for.”
- The scam works by contractors being the targets
- The scammer poses as the homeowner, and solicits contractors that are either inexperienced or even unlicensed
- The “overpayment scheme” sees the scammer find a home that fits their needs on real estate sites like Zillow
- The scammer will then agree on a work price with the contractor, and “overpay” the agreed upon amount.
- Then, the scammer will ask for a refund on the overpaid amount…meanwhile the overpayment check will bounce…and the real homeowner is screwed because work has already started on a project they knew nothing about
In the case of Brochu, a Cox Media Group radio sponsor has kindly offered to install a new driveway at her home at no charge.
Source: WFTV