State agency warns senior citizens of home repair scam

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A home repair scam in the Peach State is targeting senior citizens. John Sours, the Administrator for the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, stopped by 41 Today to tell us how we can protect ourselves from becoming victims.

The state agency protects consumers and businesses from unlawful, deceptive, and unfair practices in the marketplace.

This particular scam deals with home repair fraud. Earlier this year, a Cobb County Grand Jury charged five suspects with racketeering and accused them of conspiring to defraud 25 elderly victims of more than $74,500 in a home improvement scam. Two other suspects are still at large.

Home improvement scammers typically go door to door and offer a seemingly reasonable price for a small repair job. However, after the work was done, the crew would tell them they used more materials and the homeowners needed to pay more money.

Another typical scam is when the worker completes the job, but then finds another problem that needs repaired. The scammer then overcharges the consumer, does a shoddy job, or takes the homeonwer’s money without ever finishing the repair.

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection offers tips to protect yourself. For more information, visit www.consumer.georgia.gov.