Protect Yourself from Contractor Scams
* A person soliciting door to door for repair work. Though they may seem quite knowledgeable and appear friendly, this is not a common tactic of a professional contractor. Door to door soliciting leaves very little evidence to track down scammers.
* They claim to be working in your neighborhood and just happened to notice some sort of repair needed on your house, such as roofing, painting, or cracked portions in your driveway.
* They offer a special price or discount claiming they are in the area and will knock off a portion of the cost due to excess materials from other contracts.
* You may be told you must act right away to get this special discount pricing, and you may be asked to give them money up front before starting the work.
* They offer you a discount price if you allow them to use your home to advertise their work. This makes it sound as if they are doing you a favor for a favor.
* Some scammers offer a "free inspection" that always turns up a major repair job.