Scammers Are Out There, Beware!

County Executive Ed Day and Consumer Protection Director Kim Von Ronn are urging Rockland residents to be aware of crooked contractors scamming homeowners.

In a recent scheme, a Rockland County family was scammed out of $90,000 by a contractor who promised to renovate their yard while the family was away on vacation but never did and has since disappeared. So far this year, the Rockland County Office of Consumer Protection indicates families have been scammed out of over $200,000.

Unfortunately, these types of scams are common with an estimated 1 in 10 people falling victim to Home Improvement Contracting Scams.

“These individuals can often be hard to catch, and the money stolen harder to reclaim, which is why I stress to our families that prevention is key,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲. “A little amount of due diligence will go a long way to protecting yourself from falling victim.”

Office of Consumer Protection Director Kim Von Ronn urges families to always:

*Steer clear of unsolicited contractors

*Get a written contract

*Never pay until job is complete

*And utilize a licensed contractor

“The benefits of contracting with a licensed vendor/contractor ensures a few things but first and foremost that the contractor is insured,” 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐧. “Without appropriate and adequate insurance coverage, if the contractor or their employee gets injured when working on a home, the homeowner can be responsible for damage or injury.”

Once you decide on a contractor, keep in mind, every home improvement project over $250 requires a written contract. A down payment shall not exceed $1,000 or 15% of the contract price, whichever is less.

Exceptions to this must be stated within the written contract and agreed upon.

If a conflict arises between the consumer and business, Consumer Protection can assist with the dispute and mediation process.

Complaints regarding terrible workmanship from unlicensed vendors or an unlicensed vendor scamming a consumer out of money for an uncompleted job can also be investigated by our Office of Consumer Protection resulting in bringing the responsible party to Criminal Court. The Office of Consumer Protection also can impound vehicles in these scenarios thanks to Rockland County Local Law Chapter 286-21(H) which was sponsored by County Executive Ed Day during his time serving in the Rockland County Legislature.

In 2023, the Rockland County Office of Consumer Protection investigated 617 complaints and returned $66,000 to homeowners.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 (𝟖𝟒𝟓) 𝟑𝟔𝟒-𝟑𝟗𝟎𝟏 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐏𝐋𝐂𝐀𝐋@𝐜𝐨.𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝.𝐧𝐲.𝐮𝐬.