Contractor customer scam Reports & Reviews

Contractor customer scam Reports & Reviews (1)

- Newport, OR, USA • Dec 05, 2023

Scammer's phone (352) 658-5673
Scammer's address Gainsville, GA, USA
Scammer's email [email protected]
Country United States
Victim Location OR 97365, USA
Type of a scam Online Purchase

We received an email from [email protected] requesting an estimate for pressure washing. The email contained the phone number 352-658-5673 for someone named "Luis". It didn't look right, but we called, just in case it was a legitimate customer. We called this number and received a recorded voicemail message, so we left a message. Then we received a text message from the same number. The "customer" stated in the text message that he would like to have his house pressure washed but that he was out of state taking care of his son who just had "chest surgery". We explained that we would need to have the address of the house so that our estimator could go by and access the scope of work involved. The "customer" provided an address 118 SW Brook St in Newport, OR. We looked up the property online and it shows as currently being listed for sale. Now we are even more leery, as this is a common ploy. "Customer" stated that he wants the driveway, sidewalk, walkway, steps, windows, gutters, roof, and door areas pressure washed. We explained that we do not pressure wash windows, doors, or roofs. Also, we let the "customer" know that since the home was built prior to 1978, we would need to conduct a lead test prior to providing an estimate, as is required by the EPA. We shared our fee amount for conducting the test. He then provides us with an email address [email protected] so that we could send him more info on the lead testing (EPA brochure). He also stated that he wanted us to add the lead test fee to the price for the estimate so that he could pay the whole amount upfront, before we do the work. We explained that we do not take full payment and that the lead test fee would need to be paid separately. He then replied that due to the limit on his card and bank account, that he is unable to make separate payments and must pay the full amount upfront. We explained that we do not do business this way. We did not hear from him after this.

The way this scam works (we know, because other local painters have been taken advantage of this way) is that the "customer" pays for the services in full, prior to work starting. Then when the payment arrives, usually a check, it is for much more than the agreed upon amount. When the "customer" is contacted, they request that the painter send them a gift card or a money order for the amount of the overage, because they had to close their bank account due to fraud. If the painter sends the requested funds, they soon discover that the money that the scammer sent initially was not a real check and the check bounces, meaning the money for the "payment" of the services is withdrawn back out of the painter's account. Then the painter is left with having been scammed for the "overage" amount. One local painter even went so far as to pressure wash a house and started painting it, when the real owners (this was their vacation home) arrived to find him painting their house! The scammer had stolen the money from the "overage" plus the [painter now had to repaint half of the house back to the original color, as the real owners had not hired anyone to paint the house. So, the painter lost the amount of the overage, had to repaint the house at his own expense, and had to pay for the paint ordered for the scammer as well as the paint and supplies to repaint it back to the original color for the real owners.

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Contractor customer scam Reports & Reviews (1)

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