Ottawa Police warn residents about a renovation scam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 28, 2024  10:40 am

(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service is warning residents about a renovation scam where victims end up with more damage to their roof or chimney than they had to begin with; and often the ‘contractor’ does not complete the work properly, causing unsafe conditions.

With this scam, the subjects attend a residence claiming that repair work is needed to the roof or chimney. Once they start work, they claim damage is more extensive and the repair estimate rises significantly and, at this point, the chimney has been dismantled to varying degrees so the homeowner feels the need to proceed and get repairs completed.

If confronted about the quality of the work, the subjects/contractors may leave the homeowner with damage that will require hiring a truly professional company to repair the roof/chimney to industry standards. Alternatively, the subjects/ contractors claim the work has been completed; however, it is likely not up to industry standards, and the repairs will need to be rectified by a truly professional company.

There are currently two company names being misused by the fraudulent subjects/contractors: Paul Clark Masonry and Red Leaf Construction. Subjects attending homes have a Scottish/ Irish accent.

If you have been the victim of this type of renovation scam, you can visit our website to file a fraud report online.

Keep any records that may be in your possession and provide police with all details of the incident.

While most contractors are reputable, be skeptical of any that ask you for a significant deposit of money upfront or offer incredibly low deals. And if they are pressuring you to respond quickly, just walk away.

For any work that you agree to have done on your home, get everything in writing before you hand over any money, including details of the exact work to be completed along with an agreed monetary limit on any extra costs.

You can protect yourself by verifying their business profile on places like the Better Business Bureau or by calling our partners at 211 to learn how to best proceed.

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Through the Community Safety Data portal data.ottawapolice.ca, members of the public can view, download, and interact with data released by the Ottawa Police Service.

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Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366