Kingston, Ont. resident out thousands of dollars in alleged roofing work scam – Kingston | 24CA News
A resident of Victoria Street in Kingston, Ont., is out $7,500 after males claiming to be roofers took his cash and disappeared.
Det. Craig Boyce says Kingston police are investigating the obvious rip-off that occurred Feb. 28 that began with a really professional-looking quote for roof repairs.
“Which they put on a piece of letterhead from an actual roofing company in the area and just handwritten and he went ahead and got the cash,” Boyce stated.
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Police say when the person had second ideas, he referred to as the and organized for a refund however the scammer by no means confirmed to return the cash after promising to take action.
Global Kingston managed to find and communicate with the aged man that was victimized by the scammers. He says he was working in his yard when he was approached by three people.
He says it was one particular person particularly that did all of the talking and gave him the gross sales pitch that satisfied him to allow them to begin doing work on his home.
“Unfortunately it’s not the first time I’ve heard of something like this happening in this industry,” stated Benn Van Ryn, proprietor of Rydel Roofing in Kingston.
He says {most professional} roofers won’t ever ask for cost instantly.
“We would set up an appointment where people have a chance to look us up in advance, they can read our reviews and we go in depth on everything,” he stated. “It’s not like we’re asking for a bunch of cash right there, so that’s an immediate red flag for me.”
Police say they imagine the Victoria Street resident isn’t the one particular person approached by these people. Boyce says police are hoping to get as a lot proof as they’ll from the general public.
“People have surveillance cameras, they have the door cameras, some people even in their cars,” Boyce stated.
Police say earlier than agreeing to any work, analysis the corporate on-line and make contact with the corporate immediately, not utilizing cellphone numbers or e-mail addresses given by somebody in your doorstep.
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