Loading…
Loading…
Scams aimed at homeowners — contractor fraud, foreclosure-relief, and utility/energy cons. (39 scam types.)
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
Unsolicited offers of extended warranties or product protection that take regular premiums but deny every claim through narrow exclusions or fabricated policy documents.
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 door-to-door sellers and fake companies that take deposits for solar or green energy installations that are never completed or are grossly substandard.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Landlords or agents who collect large security deposits and vanish — or invent reasons to withhold them — leaving tenants out of pocket.
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.
Fraudulent installers taking deposits for solar systems that are never installed, substandard, or unsafe.
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.