Police are warning of an ongoing roofing fraud and impersonation scam in Toronto where fraudulent contractors allegedly offer repair work to a victim’s home, continually find urgent issues, and, in some cases, send in an Interpol investigator claiming the contracting company is under investigation in an effort to obtain more money from them.
Toronto police allege the scam starts with suspects visiting a home and identifying alleged problems with the roof, chimney or exterior structure, and offering repair services.
As the repair work continues, police say the suspects would claim more issues that require urgent attention, costing more than the initial agreement.
“In some cases, victims have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for work that was not needed,” police said in a YouTube video published Tuesday.
Police say the victims are pressured into paying for unnecessary or substandard work before the suspects return to the home or send in other people to reinforce their legitimacy.
After a homeowner refuses to pay for anything else, police say, in some cases, a suspect would show up identifying himself as an Interpol investigator, showing what appears to be official identification, and saying an investigation has been launched into the contracting company.
Toronto police say the victims would be instructed not to speak to anyone about the investigation, as they were told they were under surveillance or were maybe even threatened with legal consequences.
The victims were then allegedly told to pay large amounts of money “under the pretense of assisting or resolving the investigation.”
“That is not real. No police agency anywhere will come to your home and ask you for money as part of an investigation,” police said.
Investigators believe these are coordinated, ongoing incidents, and say there may be more victims.
Police identify the primary contractor(s) as white men with either an Irish or Scottish accent.
In some cases, police say one suspect is described as clean shaven with a heavy build, who was wearing dark blue clothes with a possible company logo. They add that this suspect’s left arm was “notably limp,” and had to use his right arm to be able to lift it.
The associated contractor is described by police as a white man with an Irish accent and a red beard.
The suspect posing as an Interpol investigator is described as a tall white man with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a windbreaker and jeans, and displayed a lanyard with what appeared to be official identification.
Police urge Torontonians to be wary of unsolicited contractors identifying urgent repair issues with their home, and to always seek several, independent quotes before signing on to any sort of work.
Police are asking anyone with information about this ongoing scam to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.