Scamming the public: beware of door to door peddlers and their promises

Those who put up solar energy panels also try to scam buyers

The fellow comes to your door promising he will landscape your yard, pave your driveway or install a new roof.  Many people, especially seniors, often take this opportunity for granted, especially when a bargain is offered.  And older people are often used to those old ways of doing things, when your neighbor had a skill and offered it for a reasonable price and was someone you could rely on to do a good job.  These days, however, government agencies warn people to beware of those who go door to door, for indeed these may be scamming and not all interested in keeping their promises

An example is provided on the Washington Attorney General website about a man who offered to do asphalt paving and failed to do the work.  The man, Michael Eugene Sparrow, 50, was charged with eight counts of unregistered contracting.  He had offered that "really good deal" that turned out to be a bad deal for the unsuspecting customers.

The case came about when an investigation conducted by the Department of Labor and Industries found more than eight homeowners, mostly seniors on fixed incomes, had hired Sparrow to grade or pave their driveways.   And although he had promised a bargain, Sparrow ended up charging the homeowners a good deal more than the usual price.  Furthermore his original price was inflated after finishing the job.  On one occasion he had given the property owner a quote of $750, then demanded an extra $2300 when the job was completed.

Seniors often fall prey to such scamming activities.  There are many stories about elders being bilked out of money by handymen who promise to make repairs, then end up failing to do the job or charging more than the original estimate.  In fact lawyers tell us that more than one third of the fraudsters target the elderly.

Experts remind everyone to check credentials of anyone offering to do a job, not just the business card that is presented or the say-so of the person making the offer.  Then if there is a senior relative or friend who might be vulnerable, remind these people of the risks of thinking everyone is honest and will follow up with legitimate work.