Hall of Shame! Dirty duct dude won't come clean
Like there’s not enough to worry about with online scams, home maintenance scams can also happen online. Duct cleaning scams are nothing new (we’ve all seen those flyers that appear in the mailbox for air duct cleaning deals that seem too good, like $89 whole-house specials. Hint: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!), but posts targeting homeowners on social media neighborhood groups are on the rise. In fact, it seems we see multiple posts for super-cheap air duct cleaning on various social media sites every single day, with users on Facebook and Nextdoor being the biggest offenders.
The content of these posts is almost identical and often touts things like a ‘special discount’ for the first few people who comment, or one price for unlimited vents and ducts. If you look closely, you’ll notice that unrelated posts often use the exact same assortment of images and videos. The company name is almost never included in the post, and those who show interest are sent private messages through the app. Also, they’re often posted from accounts that are made to look like genuine residents of the communities the groups are made for.
The scams have gotten more and more sophisticated over time, and the posts can truly appear legit. Once homeowners show interest, the most sophisticated scammers will direct message consumers, and eventually gather personal information just before asking for a hefty deposit. Your money then disappears, and your ducts never get cleaned. Or if they are cleaned, it’s sub-par work.
Bad electrical work, big surprise: Contact 6 investigates
LANNON, Wis. – A Lannon man wrote to Contact 6 after getting burned by a man he’d assumed was a qualified electrician. His experience prompted Contact 6 to go on a road trip that led to some surprising destinations.
Bradley LaRosa’s home is powered by extension cords. One cord runs down his hallway to power his washer, dryer and convection oven. Without the tripping hazards throughout his house, LaRosa says his circuit breakers would constantly trip.
Plumbing Problems? Beware of Fake Business Profiles on Google
When it’s a home repair emergency, a quick Google search can seem the easiest solution in finding help fast. But the company you call may not always be the one that shows up.
Just ask Alex Polivy from Sudbury, Massachusetts. When his hose valve burst, he searched online, finding a local plumber called Cornerstone Plumbing with good reviews and a familiar address right on Boston Post Road.
Cornerstone called Polivy, and they assured him that they could send someone over the same day. They even offered him a one-year membership for $99, promising priority service and discounts on parts and labor. He thought it was a smart deal, like the service contracts he has with oil companies, so he signed up.
But when the confirmation e-mail arrived, he discovered it was not from Cornerstone Plumbing but from a company called “Premium Home Service.” When he asked, he was told Premium Home Service was the actual provider for Cornerstone.
Then the plumber finally arrived. But as he cut off the main valve, water gushed everywhere, creating a chaotic mess Polivy hadn’t bargained for.
Not all 5-star reviews guarantee a real plumber—in fact, they can sometimes make matters worse.
Jeff Arney is your posterboard local small businessman. For 14 years, he’s successfully run the Cottage Grove-based plumbing company, Arney Plumbing. But earlier this year, Arney said his usual flow of business dried up, and he did not know why.
“We are not getting any new clients,” he said. “I may not be in business too much longer.”
It wasn’t until a customer filed a police report, claiming they were scammed by someone they thought was Arney Plumbing, that he learned his Google Business listing had been hijacked.
“When you type in Arney Plumbing, you end up with the wrong phone number and the wrong people taking money and showing up to your house,” Arney said.
Areny reached out to KARE 11 Investigates asking for help.
That tip from a local plumber launched what would become a nationwide investigation exposing thousands of hijacked or outright fake home repair companies, tens of thousands of deceived customers — and more than $79 million in suspicious profit.
The web of deception all traces back to one Chicago-based company: Premium Home Service.