Sign of Spring: Crafty Cons
By Ron Day
This winter's snow and ice have buckled roofs, cracked driveways and crumbled curbs - making New Jersey's neighborhoods targets for home repair con artists looking to make a dishonest dollar.
"Certainly, after this winter, every house needs something done, be it shingles, roof or gutters," said Harvey A. Schwartz, Senior Salesman with Garden State Brickface, Roselle, Union County, and former President of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
Appearing every spring, scam artists creep down neighborhood streets, on foot or in unmarked work trucks, searching for homes in need of repair. Crafty and crooked, they manage to lure people, usually senior citizens, to spend thousands of dollars for work shabbily done or never performed.
"Once they get in the house, they can be pretty good,"
Schwartz warned. "They apply a lot of pressure, trying to get whatever job they want."
The most highly publicized cases involve two-person scams, where con artists manage to talk their way into a home with the promise of low prices for minor home repairs. Once inside, one person will distract the homeowner, while the partner rummages through the house in search of money and jewelry.
What is probably more common, according to Schwartz, are the cases of a smooth-talking "repairman" doing lousy work after he manages to secure a big down payment.
Lately the most common fraud has involved chimney repair, he said.
"They will see a few bricks falling off a chimney, and get inside to inspect the boiler. They might throw something in the boiler to create black smoke," he said. Homeowners are then charged after the workers do little or no work.
Such frauds occur in about 10 percent of all repairs, Schwartz estimated.
Illegitimate repairman will usually give themselves away, but a homeowner must look for the "red flags", he said.
First of all, check out the individual. Ask for his state-issued license, which is required for New Jersey contractors. Always ask for more than a business card, he said.
No work should be done without a contract. It should include a complete description of the job, supplies, payment schedule and start and finish dates, according to Garden State Brickface President, David Moore.
Never pay more than 15 percent of a job's estimated cost for a down payment.
"Any reputable contractor would not do that. If it is more, then they must need the money to buy materials," Schwartz said.
Ask for three references, including telephone numbers and addresses, of people the contractor has worked for. Schwartz suggested they be in a 15-mile radius to the homeowner.
Moore urged skepticism when a contractor tries to tackle a job by himself. "There's no bravado to this thinking, usually it's just greed," he advises a written statement.
Schwartz said he is hesitant to trust people who canvas the neighborhood offering to do work. Since they might be reputable, he advised obtaining their license number and calling the Better Business Bureau to check out their history.
This article was originally published in The North New Jersey Herald & News, on March 20, 1994.
This article was provided by Garden State Brickface Windows & Siding
