(WNDU) – It’s the time of year for home improvement plans, which means it’s also the time of year for home improvement scams.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Northern Indiana tells 16 investigations that homeowners should be wary of someone showing up at your doorstep unsolicited and offering a free roof inspection.
“They’re going to get on your roof and try to find signs of wear and tear that deserve a whole new roof,” says Jan Diaz, vice president of BBB Serving Northern Indiana. “Often these scammers will literally rip shingles off a roof and take pictures of it, come off the roof again and show it to the homeowner and say, ‘Look, you’ve got a lot of wear and tear here. You’re going to have to replace your entire roof.” Or they’ll just show you pictures of someone else’s damaged roof that isn’t yours.”
Reputable roofing companies can also do door-to-door marketing, and it can be difficult to tell someone working for a real company from a scammer. That’s why the BBB says to look out for companies you’ve never heard of before.
“According to our BBB Scam Tracker reports, when dealing with a scam, scammers often use a common company name — like Indiana Roofing Company or Indiana Construction Company — in their company name,” says Diaz. “So that’s something that would most likely raise a red flag, first of all. When you hear Indiana Roofing or Indiana Construction, that’s a very generic name.”
The BBB advises homeowners to gather information from anyone they speak to and then do their own research before agreeing to any work.
You can check the BBB scam tracker or do a google search to investigate the roofer. You can also have your insurance company do an inspection before you hire someone.
For more details on warning signs to look out for when someone shows up and offers you a free roof inspection, watch the video below:
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https://www.wndu.com/2023/04/04/16-investigates-home-improvement-scams/
