April 9, 2014
Fortiani» OOhseruer
Beware of Home Project Scams
Some offers are
too good to be true
A n O regon couple recently receiv ed an o ffer they
couldn't refuse - a prom ise to pave their entire d riv e­
w ay fo r $ 1,500. T he $ 1,500 w as the m ost h o m eo w n er
Fern M athew s said they could afford.
T hat w asn't a pro b lem for the w orkers w ho show ed
up at th eir house. “W e'll w ork w ith y o u ,” one o f them
said. In fact, he had an extra tru ck lo ad o f m aterial so
he could give the M athew s a g o o d price. M inutes
later, the project w as under way.
B ut instead o f a freshly pav ed d rivew ay fo r $ 1,500,
the M athew s ended up w ith a thin coat o f soft, sandy
gravel. A nd, once the tw o m en started putting dow n
m aterial, they insisted on being paid $4,700 to finish
the w ork. In the end, Fern w rote a check fo r $3,200.
"They m ake you nervous," the 6 7-year-old said.
"It's ju s t a scary situation."
T hat didn't stop her, how ever, from using a contact
the m en gave h er to track them to a m otel. O nce she
realized she w asn't g etting a real paving jo b o r h er
m oney back, she took dow n their license plates and
contacted law enforcem ent.
"O ur top priority is to protect our m ost vulnerable
citizens - including the elderly," said Lt. R ob W urpes o f
the C lackam as C ounty S heriffs Office. "W e urge prop­
price. They quote an initial low price, then dem and m ore
to finish the project. Generally, they are not licensed with
the C onstruction Contractors Board.
If you encounter a situation like this, call your local law
enforcem ent agencies o r the C onstruction Contractors
Board(503-378-4621).
W urpes said that once m oney changes hands, as it
did in Fern s case, it becom es h ard er to pursue crim inal
charges against fraudulent contractors. O ften, the
cases m ust be resolved in civil court -- m eaning ad d i­
tional tim e and expense fo r the victim .
W e re proud to partn er w ith the C onstruction
C ontractors B oard to com bat this type o f crim e and
m ake sure that p erp etrato rs are held accountable
w h enever possible," W urpes said. "W orking together,
w e really can m ake a d ifferen ce."
Page 7
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erty ow ners throughout O regon to exercise their good
judgm ent w hen hiring a contractor, especially if the deal
sounds too good to be true.
"W e also encourage fam ily m em bers and neighbors
to look out for citizens w ho m ay be especially vulnerable
to financial scam s."
W hile the C C B and law enforcem ent agencies are
investigating the incident, Fern rem ained stuck w ith a
m ushy drivew ay as o f early A pril. She w arns others to
bew are o f traveling construction w orkers w ho offer
unrealistic discounts.
"A lw ays use reputable contractors, check references
and never pay all the m oney up front," added B ern
Leslie, interim C onstruction C ontractors Board adm in- •
istrator.
T he contractors board recom m ends that property
ow ners get a w ritten contract for hom e im provem ent
projects, even sm all ones.
M eanw hile, law enforcem ent and state regulators
say the num bers o f drivew ay, roof, and other hom e
im provem ent scam s w ill only increase as tem peratures
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H ere are som e key w ays to spot thieves: Y ou don't
call them - they show up at your doorstep. T heir vehicles
often show out-of-state license plates. T hey say they
have leftover m aterials so they can give you a great
■■WMHMMMN
Charles Jordan
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3
schools to engage youth through p o sitiv e interaction
and activities. A s Fire C om m issioner, he developed an
outreach training p rogram to recruit people o f c o lo r to
the Fire B ureau.
O n the national stage, Jordan b ro adened the agenda
o f the environm ental m o vem ent and land co n serv a­
tion to m ake it m ore inclusive. H e is know n fo r his
g roundbreaking approach to putting p eople - p articu ­
larly people o f c o lo r - at the heart o f the A m erican
C onserv ation M ovem ent.
"H is great saying w as ’Parks are m ore than ju s t fun
and gam es,'" says M ichelle H arper, w ho w orked w ith
Jordan for years in several capacities. "H e is a spiritual
person w ith a strong connection to his church, and he
saw us all as being connected. P ortland's parks w ere
w here w e could com e tog eth er to build com m unity
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Jordan's m em orial service will be private, for fam ily
only.
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