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Scams aimed at homeowners — contractor fraud, foreclosure-relief, and utility/energy cons. (66 scam types.)
Rock-bottom advertised carpet cleaning prices are used to get a technician into the home, who then upsells mandatory add-ons at the door, often followed by rushed or damaging work.
A fraudster submits a change-of-address request in your name to your postal service, redirecting your mail — including bank statements, replacement cards, and government correspondence — to an address they control.
Door-to-door or coupon-based chimney and air duct cleaners charge a low initial fee, then cite false safety violations or excessive buildup to demand hundreds more, performing little or no actual cleaning.
Fraudsters who target people after floods, fires, or storms — posing as insurers, public adjusters, or contractors to steal claim payouts or personal data.
Traveling contractors offer cheap driveway paving or sealcoating using leftover materials, collect a large deposit or full payment, then deliver shoddy work or vanish entirely.
Multi-level marketing schemes built around reselling household energy or utility contracts in deregulated markets, where independent 'consultants' earn most of their income from recruiting other consultants rather than genuine long-term customer retention.
Scammers persuade homeowners facing foreclosure to sign over their property under a sale-leaseback or rescue scheme, then strip the equity and evict the family.
Facebook Marketplace's buy-and-sell hub attracts a whole ecosystem of cons — fake listings, "is this still available" bait, off-platform payment demands, shipping tricks, deposit scams, and code-harvesting — hitting buyers and sellers alike.
Scammers charge prospective renters an upfront 'application' or 'tour scheduling' fee for a unit viewing that never happens, often using photos of a real property they do not control.
Unlicensed or fraudulent 'technicians' dispatched through search ads or flyer numbers diagnose fake or exaggerated problems, charge for parts never installed, and disappear once paid.
Workers posing as tree care professionals solicit urgent tree removal or trimming, collect large upfront payments, and either do poor work, damage the property, or disappear without completing the job.
Fraudulent background check websites promise instant tenant, employee, or personal screening reports, but exist solely to harvest the Social Security numbers and payment details submitted by users and the people they are checking on.
Callers selling worthless or non-existent boiler and home emergency cover, or impersonating legitimate cover providers to harvest payments.
Imposters posing as census officials who harvest identity data or charge fake 'participation fees'.
A person arrives at the door claiming to collect for a well-known or invented charity, often around disasters or seasonal appeals, and pressures the resident into an on-the-spot cash donation. No genuine charity funds ever reach the cause.
Someone poses as a local council or municipal official conducting a required inspection, survey, or benefit review, using official-sounding language and paperwork to gain entry to a home or extract personal and financial details.
A person arrives at the door claiming to be a debt collector or bailiff enforcing an unpaid bill or court judgment, demanding immediate cash payment or threatening to seize property, when no genuine debt or enforcement order exists.
Websites sell worthless ESA registration certificates, ID cards, and vests that have no legal standing, misleading buyers into believing their pet has official status.
Salespeople posing as energy auditors offer free home energy assessments, fabricate findings about insulation or window efficiency, and pressure homeowners into expensive upgrades that may qualify for nonexistent rebates.
Fraudulent brokers offering 'better energy rates' who collect switching fees or personal data and disappear.
Fraudsters pose as estate agents or property managers to collect holding deposits on properties they have no authority to let, leaving tenants without a property or their money.
Scammers offer a government-sounding grant or subsidy for installing an electric vehicle home charger, using it to collect upfront fees or sell overpriced installations that never fully materialize.
Unsolicited offers of extended warranties or product protection that take regular premiums but deny every claim through narrow exclusions or fabricated policy documents.
Someone poses as a gas company inspector or safety engineer to gain entry to your home, then invents a dangerous fault and charges for unnecessary 'emergency' repairs.
Scammers offer a government-sounding heat pump grant or subsidy, using it to charge upfront 'processing fees' or to sell overpriced, unnecessary installations.
An unlicensed or dishonest inspector or appraiser produces a fabricated or superficial report, hiding property defects or misstating value to help a sale close quickly at the buyer's expense.
Aggressive door-to-door sales agents misrepresent home security products, forge credit checks, use deceptive contract terms, and lock homeowners into multi-year agreements for overpriced or non-functional systems.
Fraudsters posing as government-backed insulation scheme representatives to charge fees, harvest data, or arrange substandard or non-existent installation.
A locksmith advertises a low service call fee online, then drills out the lock unnecessarily and charges many times the advertised price once the homeowner is locked out and vulnerable.
Imposters claiming to be from the utility company arrive to inspect or upgrade a meter, gain access to the home, and commit theft, identity fraud, or charge for false electrical work.
Contractors fabricate or greatly exaggerate mold or asbestos findings to sell expensive remediation services that are unnecessary, inadequate, or both.
Fraudulent lenders issue fake mortgage preapproval letters or collect sensitive financial information under the guise of preapproval, costing victims fees, lost offers, or identity theft.
Emergency plumbing calls booked through search ads are met with inflated, invented diagnoses and pressure to pay large upfront sums for rushed or unnecessary work.
Fraudulent or non-existent renters insurance policies sold to tenants — often bundled into the leasing process — that pay nothing when belongings are stolen, damaged, or destroyed.
Fraudulent door-to-door sellers and fake companies that take deposits for solar or green energy installations that are never completed or are grossly substandard.
Fraudulent landlords and fake letting agents advertise student rooms or apartments near foreign universities, taking a deposit or several months' rent before the student arrives to find the property does not exist or was never available.
Rogue traders demanding upfront payment for tree removal or garden work they never complete, or using utility-risk framing to pressure quick decisions.
A caller claiming to be from a utility company says there is an urgent problem with the victim's account or service — an overdue bill, a technical fault, or an emergency situation — and demands immediate payment or personal details.
Sales reps posing as representatives of a government energy grant program lure homeowners into signing loan agreements or paying fees for window upgrades misrepresented as free or subsidized.
Fraudsters who target homeowners facing foreclosure with fake 'rescue' services that take fees and accelerate financial ruin.
Garage door technicians advertising low service call fees diagnose minor or non-existent problems as requiring expensive part replacements, completing shoddy work or replacing functional components unnecessarily.
Fraudsters posing as government-backed green energy schemes to charge fees or harvest personal data.
Door-to-door solicitors offer cheap gutter cleaning, collect a cash payment, spend minutes on the roof doing little or no work, and leave before the homeowner can verify the result.
A handyman or general contractor takes a large upfront deposit for home repair or renovation work, then fails to appear, does minimal work, or disappears entirely with the funds.
Criminals apply for home equity lines of credit using stolen homeowner identities, or pose as lenders collecting fees for HELOC products that never materialise.
Fraudsters forge a deed or use a stolen identity to transfer a homeowner's title into their own name, then borrow against the property or "sell" it. Paid-off, vacant, inherited, and elderly-owned homes are the prime targets.
Fraudulent messages claim a housing benefit or rental assistance claim needs urgent 'verification', harvesting bank and landlord details from tenants and landlords alike.
Scammers posing as housing authority staff, caseworkers, or 'voucher assistance' services charge desperate voucher holders illegal fees to find, guarantee, or speed up approval for a rental unit.
A technician performing a low-cost or free inspection fabricates or exaggerates HVAC faults, presents alarming safety claims, and pressures the homeowner into expensive repairs or replacement that are not needed.
Traveling paving crews claim to have leftover asphalt from a nearby job and pressure homeowners into an immediate cash deal for a driveway resurfacing that uses substandard material and fails quickly.
A caller or doorstep visitor accuses you of illegally tampering with your electricity or gas meter and demands an immediate fine or 'settlement fee' to avoid prosecution or disconnection.
Fake services that charge fees to negotiate lower mortgage payments — then deliver nothing while your arrears grow.
A door-to-door pest control salesperson fabricates or exaggerates an infestation, uses alarming language to pressure the homeowner into an expensive contract, and delivers minimal or useless treatment.
Workers offer on-the-spot pressure washing at a low price, collect payment upfront, and use insufficient equipment or technique that leaves surfaces dirty or causes damage.
Fake or misleading arrangements that promise a path to homeownership but deliver nothing except lost rent.
Scammers harvest the sensitive personal and financial data submitted on rental applications, either through fake listings or stolen genuine applications, then use it to rent property or pass tenant screening under someone else's name.
Landlords or agents who collect large security deposits and vanish — or invent reasons to withhold them — leaving tenants out of pocket.
Scooter, jet-ski, and car rental operators claim you caused damage that was already there — or was inflicted after return — and demand inflated cash payment, with the renter's passport held as leverage. A staple of beach resorts and tourist islands.
Fraudsters target older homeowners with fake or misrepresented reverse mortgage products, collecting fees for loans that never materialise or steering victims into predatory terms that risk their home.
Unlicensed removal companies provide an artificially low estimate, then present a dramatically higher bill on moving day and refuse to unload until paid.
High-pressure solar sales pitches convince homeowners to pay large deposits for installations that are delayed indefinitely or never happen, often through fly-by-night or unlicensed installers.
Fraudulent installers taking deposits for solar systems that are never installed, substandard, or unsafe.
A squatter occupies a vacant property without authorization and uses a forged or fabricated lease agreement to claim tenancy rights, delaying legal removal for weeks or months.
After a hailstorm or severe weather event, traveling roofing crews descend on affected neighborhoods offering quick repairs, inflating insurance claims or pocketing large deposits before disappearing.
Unsolicited calls and letters claiming your warranty or insurance is about to expire — pressuring you into paying for a renewal or product you do not need.
Door-to-door sales agents conduct a dramatic water quality demonstration, exaggerate health risks, and pressure homeowners into expensive water filtration systems they do not need.