We are in our mid 70’s and a tornado came through our town two years ago, almost to this date, and damaged our property, our home, our vehicles. Luckily we managed to make it to the basement for shelter as we listened to the trees crashing all around us and on us as it turned out.
We had some insurance coverage for some of it but had much that was not covered by the insurance that had to be taken care. This is an older house, and some of the structure issues that have come to light have had to be repaired before the insurance company could take care of the “surface cosmetics”.
The insurance company did not approve these repairs, and it was not as a direct result of the storm.
We tried to find contractors and workers in our smaller community that would do the work. Some came, some worked, and many would not deal with insurance, so we paid them up front from our small savings.
We ran out of money for things like adding a handicap ramp to our entry, and widening the entry door so wheelchair could fit through, replacing windows that had rotting frames from water damage, and insulating the house. (none of which was covered by insurance). We were able to get a home equity line of credit for some of the work, and another smaller loan from the to help with the repair costs also.
One of the contractors sent a worker of theirs to install 3 windows for us (also not covered by insurance). He became very friendly with us, dropping by often, and offering to do little projects for us just to help us out. Offering to drive me to the store on snowy days, Picking up things we needed at the store, changing a flat tire on my husband’s old pickup. He brought us Easter Dinner, shared stories of growing up in a nearby town where my husband also had grown up. Shared stories with my husband of families in the area of which they were both aware.
A ”friendship” bond was formed. He offered to help save us money on some of the repairs by using his discount account at Home Depot to get our products less expensively than we could on our own. We would pay him for the materials, and then he would cash the check and go to Home Depot and pick up the materials.
Over several winter months here in Northern Minnesota, we paid him to get a whole house of insulation, rent of the hopper, wood to replace roof support beams that were giving way, new rain gutters to prevent water damage that we were dealing with in all these repairs, all the wood and materials to build the handicap ramp to our entry porch, laminate flooring, and many other things.
We did not see these materials, from March through April, though constantly he assured us they were on his work trailer, stored in his garage until the snow melted enough in the spring (May) to get it here to us, as we had nowhere to store it here at all.
Assuring us he would take off three weeks in May to do all the work, he would come and ask for money (as prepayment for the labor costs), and even asked for emergency loan to get his wife to her dying grandfather before he passed away.
He came one day with a small car he said he was selling to a friend. That he had purchased it for his daughter, but it was a stick shift and she refused to learn to drive it. The friend who was to purchase it was not responding. I was having trouble with my almost 20 year old vehicle, and I told him if they did not buy the car, please consider letting me buy it. Which he did. He took the payment for it, and said he was going to go home to get the paperwork, of course having to drive the car back home to get it. Then he indicated he was taking it to a detail shop to have it cleaned up for me since it was dirty.
From there it was “the detail shop is so busy, and I can’t get there to get the car picked up, but the papework and title are in the glove box as soon as I get it I’ll bring it A few weeks later, things came to a head. And no car was delivered.
It all came to an end on May 5th, he finally slipped up in his stories, and we were shocked to learn it was all a scam. He would get the pricing of products from Home Depot, would get us “estimates” and when we agreed, he would call and order the materials with us listening. He would tell them on the phone how to load the materials and schedule with them when he would pick it up. He would take the checks to the bank and, we found out later, would cash them, and then call to cancel the home Depot orders.
No material was ever picked up, nothing was purchased with the money. And there was no car of his for sale. Sadly, he tried to sell it to his mother the same day, and to another party. we found out later about this, and have no idea who actually owned the car, and how many times he sold it that week. Suddenly his friendly drop in visit stopped.
And now, $17,000 of our $18,000 home improvement loans gone to him. we are no longer able to complete handicap accessible projects.
Our crime in this, trusting and believing, and trying to help someone we felt was genuine. Now, there is nothing to show for it, other than our shame in being scammed so slickly and easily. . But we did not hide our shame as most scammed elderly tend towards. While we are fairly isolated, and have no family close by, we were happy to have someone befriend us and offer to help us. Sadly that was the key that got him so much.
We did file a report with the local Sheriff and found out this is a person well known to them. But so slick that they have not been able to get a solid case against him for years.
They advised we should file a civil lawsuit or go to small claims court to try to get a judgement against him for $10,000 of the lost funds. We consulted a lawyer who refused to take the case, actually he refused to take any more of our money away. He was sure there was nothing to get as a result of the action, other than more bills for us.
I discussed it with my husband… and we are pretty sure that he DID NOT take us for all that money and then put it in a savings account in case we decided we wanted it back.
Everyone involved, from the lawyer we consulted, to the sheriff’s office, to ex-employers of this person have told us that they are all sure there is no money to get from him… as he would have spent it immediately.
Now, we are faced with all these repairs and changes that still need to be done to get our house functional and handicap accessible. Things we “paid for” to be done, materials we thought we were purchasing…….. and now we have no funds left to do it.
And we must be accountable to the bank for the funds, what repairs did we get done with the funds, how we used the funds. We are also faced with the insurance company deadline of having to have repairs done within two years of the damage. If not complete, they will deny the remaining claims. Sadly, that deadline is about a month away.
The stress level is high around here for us. We have often said that we would have been much better off if the tornado had destroyed our home. Of course, that is drastic, but then, our situation has turned into something so long and drawn out, and painful, that we are truly wondering if we would have been better in that case.
paypal.me/candjw