Be wary of home improvement scams by international travelers, police warn

Police are warning members of the public, and especially seniors, to be on the lookout for scammers posing as workers offering home improvement services such as masonry work, driveway paving, or roofing and fence repair. 

There could be “increased solicitation by international travelers” offering this work, Boston police said in a release Thursday. Most of the scammers who have been found to be engaging in this kind of activity in the past are travelers from Ireland and the United Kingdom. Many of them are here under a program that does not allow them to work during their three-month stay in the U.S. 

Boston residents have been duped into paying tens of thousands of dollars for home improvement projects “only to be left with worse damage or little to no improvement,” police said. In an example given by officials, an initial cost of $1,500 for masonry work could escalate to the point where residents are paying $30,000 for “structural engineering consultants” to assess a home’s foundation. 

These fraudsters often go door-to-door, soliciting residents with paper flyers bearing “uninspired business names” like “A1 Paving” or “City and Town Paving,” police said. The companies would not be registered with the city or state and may have recently created websites. The scammers sometimes offer discounts due to having leftover materials from other jobs in the neighborhood. 

Another tell is that they will attempt to exert a lot of pressure on residents, exaggerating the need for the work to be done quickly. After the initial work is done, they may pivot into a more threatening or intimidating demeanor, police said. 

Residents should keep an eye out for any purported workers who ask that checks be made out directly to them instead of to a company, police said. People should also make note of the vehicles driven by the potential scammers and their license plate numbers. 

Any unknown person approaching residents for home repair work should be viewed as a potential scammer, officials said. 

“Remember, for any work on your property you should obtain a minimum of two estimates from reputable companies who will carry the appropriate insurance, licenses, apply for the appropriate permits and provide references and coverage to you for their work after completion,” the BPD said in its release.