Avoid Scammers, Follow These Tips

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With Spring time approaching, you may want to spruce up your home and make necessary repairs you have been putting off all winter, but as a word of caution Spring cleaning does not mean getting cleaned out of your hard-earned cash.

Attorney General Lisa Madigans office is offering tips to consumers that help prevent them from becoming the victims of unscrupulous business practices. Recently Madigan announced that a Peoria-area man was sentenced to one and a half years in jail with six months probation and ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution to consumers for scamming them out of thousands of dollars in home repair work he never completed.

Madigan said Michael G. Gray, 43, of Creve Coeur, pled guilty to three counts of home repair fraud, Class A misdemeanors, and was sentenced Friday in Peoria County Circuit Court. Gray was also ordered to pay $106,110 to 32 residents of 10 Illinois counties and one Iowa resident for work he charged them but in many cases never even began.

Home repair fraud is a problem that affects thousands of Illinoisans every year. This case should serve as a reminder that my office is committed to targeting scam artists who prey on unsuspecting homeowners to make a quick profit, Attorney General Madigan said.

Madigan said Gray operated the now-dissolved Illini Siding and Windows in Creve Coeur in 2005 and 2006, soliciting consumers to replace their windows, install fences and other repair work. Consumers reported to the Attorney Generals Office and other authorities that Gray typically charged upwards of 50 percent of the repair cost upfront.

Madigan offers the following tips in avoiding home repair fraud.

1. Get more than one estimate and get them in writing.

2. Don't fall for high pressure sales tactics and prices that seem "too good to be true."

3. Get the name and address of the business and check old phone books to see how long they have been in business.

4. Inspect the contract carefully. Check to see that it includes:

o the contractor's full name, address, and telephone number

o a description of the work to be performed

o starting and estimated completion dates

o total cost for work performed including charges for estimates

o schedule and method of payment including down payment, subsequent payments, and final payment

5. Do not sign a contract that has blank spaces or that you do not understand.

6. Find out whether the contractor guarantees his or her work and products.

7. Get lien waivers. This protects you from claims against you or your property in the event a general contractor fails to pay subcontractors or material suppliers.

8. Don't make final payment until you are satisfied and all subcontractors have been paid.

9. Remember, you have three business days to cancel any contract if the sale is made and signed at your home. The contractor CANNOT take this right away from you by initiating work, selling your contract to a lender, or any other tactic.

The following are typical examples of home repair rip-off schemes:

o Unsolicited door-to-door salespeople with no local connections offer to do home repair work for substantially less than market price.

o A company which lists only a telephone or post-office box number solicits for repair work.

o A contractor refuses to provide proof of insurance and references when requested.

o Someone offers to inspect your home for free without authentic identification establishing their business status.

o A contractor demands cash payment and/or full payment before they complete a job.

o A contractor asks for a check payable to a third party.

o A contractor offers to drive the homeowner to his/her bank to withdraw funds to pay for their work.

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