A Langley senior was robbed of $3,000 by fake repairmen recently, and police are warning others not to fall for the same scam.
Following one of the recent windstorms, two men posing as roofers arrived at the South Aldergrove home of an elderly man and talked their way inside saying they were “looking for leaks,” said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
“In reality, they were looking for something to steal,” Largy said.
They made off with the $3,000 in saved cash and have not yet been located by police.
RCMP are offering tips for local residents if unsolicited tradespeople arrive at their home:
• Do not allow unknown persons into your home
• Find out who they work for, and contact the company to confirm the tradespeople are, in fact, representing their agency (look up the number yourself – don’t let the tradesperson give you a phone number to call)
• Require that they produce identification and certification of training in their particular trade
• Require that they provide references to the quality of their work (any reputable company would be happy to provide references)
• Contact the references
• Attend to inspect previous work
• Require that they provide a detailed estimate in writing and obtain several estimates to compare prior to selecting one tradesperson
• Do not pay for services in advance
• If a deposit is required, work out a payment schedule in writing
• Contact the Better Business Bureau to validate the company name and confirm they are a company in good standing.