Amanda Brochu from Florida recently came home from work and was greeted by an unexpected sight to say the least.
Her entire concrete driveway was gone. Instead, there was only a strip of exposed soil with tractor tracks in it.
– I come home and my driveway is gone, says Amanda Brochu to the local TV channel WFTV9 Orlando.
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A contractor had been hired
A video captured by a camera on the house’s doorbell shows a bulldozer earlier in the day digging up and shoveling away the entire driveway.
It turns out that a local contractor had been hired to remove the driveway, but it wasn’t someone from Amanda Brochus’ family who had ordered the job.
Instead, the contractor had been hired by a crook who used the name “Andre”.
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A clever scam
One might wonder what a criminal has to gain by having a stranger’s driveway dug up.
According to WFTV9, it is about what is called an “overpayment fraud”, and where the real target is the contractor.
The crooks identify a house that is for sale, and order an expensive fix on it from a contractor. It may involve putting a new roof, repainting the facade or tearing up the driveway.
Paying with fake check
Once the fraudsters have received a price for the work from the contractor, they pay with a fake check for an intentionally excessive amount.
You then contact the contractor and say that you have accidentally paid too much and ask them to refund the difference in cash.
When the contractor tries to cash the fake check, it fails, and both the money for the work and the cash for the refund are thus lost.
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Distressing for the homeowner
Even if the homeowner is not the primary victim, the crime can still put them in a distressing situation.
Amanda Brochu has already signed a contract to buy a new house, and in order to afford this, she needs to be paid well enough for her old house. She also doesn’t have the $10,000 it takes to build a new driveway.
Fortunately, a sponsor of the media company Cox Radio Group has offered to pay for a new driveway.
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