Stay Smart! Keep Ahead of Home Improvement Scams

Your home is worth a lot to you, but dishonest home contractors see the value in it too. Every year, people spend billions of dollars for home improvements. Usually the work is done well, but some homeowners are victims of poor, overpriced, or never-completed work.

In June, several southern New Hampshire seniors fell victim to area paving scams. A WMUR story cites that victims of this type of scam usually receive spotty work and are intimidated into paying thousands of dollars for the low-quality job. To avoid falling prey to home repair scams, AARP New Hampshire is providing you with the tools necessary to recognize, resist, and report frauds and scams.

How to Spot a Driveway Paver Scam

Many people don’t know they’ve been duped by a paving scam until it is too late. The New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General wants us to beware of:

• Door-to-door solicitations
• Unsolicited offers to do paving work
• Claims of leftover material
• High-pressure sales tactics
• Contractors who are reluctant to sign a written contract or estimate
• Contractors who demand payment in cash
• Contractors who do not list a business number in a local telephone directory
• Contractors who offer exceptionally long guarantees
• Contractors who ask you to pay up front for the entire job

Legitimate contractors do not seek door-to-door work. Cons offer a great low price and claim they have just enough asphalt left over from another job nearby. Because the work must be done “immediately,” the victim is coerced into having that particular repair crew do the work, with no opportunity to investigate. Remember, if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Important Resources to Avoid Becoming a Victim

• AARP Fraud Fighters: Stay Ahead of the Scam … Stay Smart
  
• Attorney General’s Office: What to do if you are a Victim of a Paving Scam
  

Know Your Power

If you think you have discovered a con-artist, call your local police and notify the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Don’t be a victim. Stay ahead of the scam and stay smart!