Scammers Targeting Seniors
In today’s economy, shady people will do whatever they can to earn a quick buck. Unfortunately, senior citizens are usually the target of these scams.
It’s important to be aware of who you hire. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to scare you away from hiring a roofing contractor that knocks on the door or leaves a flyer (This happens a lot in big cities such as Houston, Dallas, & Austin…and we even do this on occasion at Lone-Star Roof Systems). What I mean when I’m talking about scamming, is the “salesman” who seems legitimate and seems trusting, but actually never follows protocol and turns out to be fraudulent. These “salesmen” usually appear to be friendly and overly helpful. If there’s a doubt in your mind that your contractor may be scamming you, it’s important to ask for references. Any credible roofing contractor will happily provide a list of previous customers or business partners who they have successfully worked with.
These deceitful “salesmen,” will usually knock on the senior citizen’s door and warn them of the dreadful state their roof is in. Unable to get up on the roof and check themselves, the “salesman” will arrange to have a free inspection and estimate, which will indubitably verify the damage. Senior homeowners are lead to believe that if they don’t replace their roof immediately then they will end up having to pay more due to the damage in the long run. Often times, these scammers don’t even try to get the homeowners their insurance proceeds, thus making them pay completely out of pocket for their roof replacement. Additionally, these fraudulent companies don’t follow legal protocol. They will fail to obtain proper permits, completely bypass claims with insurance companies, and leave the seniors without any warranty or proof of payment once the job had been completed.
Seniors are the easiest target for scammers. Often times the senior citizens won’t even question the lack of proper protocol, perhaps because they are just unaware of how the “salesman” should be handling the job. Be weary if you don’t ever receive a receipt or a warranty. To prevent becoming a victim of a roofing scam, it’s important to follow this advice:
- Ask for references and credentials of any door-to-door vendor.
- Verify the contractor is licensed or registered with the county.
- Get inspections and quotes from multiple contractors.
- Always get documentation of the completed work, warranty of the product and a copy of payment to be filed to the insurance company.
Citation:
“Seniors Targeted For Roofing Scam.” RoofRocket.com. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. http://www.roofrocket.com/category/roofing_blog/page/4/.
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