The plight of a Florida woman named Amanda Brochu came to the attention of Central Florida after she went to work one day. returned home I found her driveway apparently stolen. However, further investigation reveals that a scammed contractor may be responsible for this strange incident.
according to WFTV-TV, when the Brochus put their home on the market in early December, a strange situation began to unfold. Brochu hired several contractors to do some minor renovations to his home in preparation for sale, but soon after, the contractors showed up and began taking measurements for her project. Ta. do not have What I want to do: A new driveway.
Mr. Brochu confronted one of the contractors, who told him that a man named “Andre” had ordered a new driveway, claiming to be Brochu's landlord. The contractor showed Brochu's text messages showing that “Andre” agreed to a price of $7,200 but said he could not meet in person for payment. When the contractor became suspicious and demanded proof of ownership of the property, “Andre” cut off communications.
Brochu then called the police and confronted Andre, who reportedly insisted the whole situation was a misunderstanding due to a wrong address and that nothing more would happen to her property. ing. But a week later, when Brochu returned home from her job, her driveway was strangely gone, replaced by an exposed dirt track.
Video: Single mother's future in jeopardy as thief steals drivewaywww.youtube.com
After telling the media about her story, which received a lot of attention locally, a general contractor official who requested anonymity told WFTV that the “theft” in the driveway was the result of an “overpayment” scam in which scammers target contractors. He said it was highly likely. An anonymous contractor says unscrupulous people are committing fraud by checking listings for new homes on public sites like her Zillow. When they discover a home is for sale, they usually contact unlicensed contractors and request bids for unsolicited work on the home's exterior.
In this scam, after the scammer and contractor agree on a price, the scammer sends the contractor a check for more than the agreed upon amount, then calls the contractor and asks for a refund of the difference between the agreed price and the check. . amount. Usually the contractor agrees, but after a while the check from the scammer bounces, leaving the contractor in a bind. An anonymous contractor speculated that the contractor was in the middle of replacing Brochu's driveway when he learned his check bounced and decided to retaliate by finishing the driveway work half-heartedly. .
Florida lawmakers are investigating the situation, but have found few leads. The contractor has not come forward, and authorities believe the scammer used a burner phone and a false name.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. After her story made local news, Cox Media Group offered to replace Brochu's driveway free of charge. However, many homeowners are not so lucky. Brochu had set up her GoFundMe to cover expenses and has now pledged to donate the money raised to local charities.
