Beshear: Door-to-Door Scammers Doubling Down this Spring

Beshear: Door-to-Door Scammers Doubling Down this Spring
One con artists steals, another claims they can help the victim recover for a fee

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 3, 2017) – Today Attorney General Beshear said a possible ring of door-to-door scammers have recently targeted the Louisville-area, with one household losing more than $70,000 over the past year.

The current scam involves someone coming door-to-door claiming to offer services related to home improvement, or simply requesting financial aid for their “business.” Once the victim makes a payment, the con artist makes-off with the money.

Then, a second con artist, likely connected to the first, comes along pretending to be an Adult Protective Services employee and claims they provide “scam recovery services” for a fee. However, legitimate Adult Protective Services employees do not charge for their services. The victim is scammed for a second time when they pay the phony Adult Protective Services employee, and receives what appears to be a legitimate receipt, to recover their lost funds.

Beshear issued a Scam Alert to make other Jefferson County residents aware of the latest threat, and to help remind all Kentuckians that home repair and door-to-door sales scams often increase during the warmer months.

“The only ‘deal’ these door-to-door imposters are offering is a scam,” said Beshear. “Our office has been made aware of a potential ring of con artists targeting the Louisville-area and we want to alert Kentuckians to help others avoid falling victim.”

Beshear said not all door-to-door salespersons are scammers and many are honest trying to make a living. Nevertheless, before you commit to a door-to-door sales pitch take time to follow these tips to help avoid a scam:

Verify and check online reviews
Verify that the contractor or business is registered to do business in Kentucky on the Secretary of State’s website, also check business licensing requirements with your city or county government. Verify online reviews through the Better Business Bureau, and ask for ID and contact previous customer references. 

Avoid upfront payment
If a contractor asks for upfront payment for a small home improvement job this should trigger a red flag. Often times, very large projects require some type of upfront payment, but only after the contractor is properly screened and a guarantee contract is signed.

One of Beshear’s top priorities is to protect Kentuckians, especially senior citizens from scams, abuse and exploitation.

As part of his commitment to protect Kentucky families from the emotional and financial devastation con artists cause, Beshear launched Scam Alerts in 2016 to provide Kentuckians with direct guidance on how to avoid falling victim to the latest scam. To sign up for Scam Alerts text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.

Beshear is also working with the faith-based community to help better protect local congregations and the communities they serve from scams. Beshear’s Office of Senior Protection will be at the Eastern Area Community Ministries in Louisville April 6 at 7 p.m. To learn more about this initiative visit, ag.ky.gov.

To report a scam contact the Attorney General’s Office at 888-432-9257 and file a complaint online.

 

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 AG Beshear’s press releases are available on his official website at www.ag.ky.gov.