As Los Angeles authorities crack down on unlicensed contractors who are accused of leaving wildfire victims with shoddy work, an Altadena woman who survived the Eaton Fire said an illegal builder preyed on her when she was at her most vulnerable.
When Pamelia Lawson’s home became one of the 1,073 properties that were damaged by the Eaton Fire in January 2025, a person who later turned out to be a bad actor approached the woman, offering to fix her house for a reasonable price.
“I do feel like they saw a person that was really in need of some type of help and guidance,” Lawson told NBC4 Investigates. “This was so new. We’ve never experienced a fire, and I think I was totally taken advantage of.”
The photos Lawson provided to NBC4 Investigates showed what appears to be incomplete work by the builder who did not have a license. The victim said she paid the contractor $18,000, but she could never reach him after he cashed her checks.
Lawson’s story is an important reminder of the rules in the state: according to the Contractors State License Board, customers should pay no more than 10% of the total contract price or $1,000, whichever is less, as a down payment. After making the down payment, they should also pay for materials used and services performed.
To avoid being victimized, consumers should also keep records of everything while always confirming builders are licensed with the Contractors State License Board.
“Make sure when you get their license number. You also ask for their driver’s license number,” Katherine People with HPP Cares, a nonprofit that offers free counseling about hiring contractors, said.
Another trick used by unlicensed builders: using a license under someone else’s name.
“That’s another predatory activity where someone says, ‘Oh yeah, I’m licensed.’ And then when you actually ultimately find out that was not their license number that they gave you,” Peoples said. “They have an arrangement with someone who is licensed, or in actuality, that person’s license doesn’t even know that that individual is using it.”
Six people have been charged with contracting without a license after allegedly trying to solicit business in the Palisades Fire zone. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Lawson luckily received support from the nonprofit Hope Crisis Response Network, which helps rebuild homes after a disaster. Even though the Eaton Fire survivor has now spent about $50,000 to fix her home, she said she’s grateful that the work is nearly done.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has vowed to prosecute unlicensed builders in fire zones. Last month, six people were charged with contracting without a license after allegedly trying to solicit business in neighborhoods devastated by the deadly January 2025 Palisades Fire, following an undercover sting set up by state investigators.
Contracting without a license in connection with a natural disaster is a felony and carries maximum penalties of three years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000.