11/21/2025
Fellow contractors, beware scammers. I was contacted by an out of state phone number, which isn’t that odd these days. I have an out of state number from living in California. I went to the property he said he owned and gave him an estimate. He said he had to leave the state, and wanted to pay by check. I found this odd, but a lot of older people pay by check, and maybe he was a referral and trusted me. After I gave him my address, he wanted to pay the full amount, even though I only requested half up front. He then asked if he could pay extra so I could pay the flooring person in cash.
He actually sent me a check, which I immediately gave the bank as a fraudulent check. This was apparently an attempt to get my account information, since he would have all my information before the funds were actually deposited, and would then cancel the transaction.
Luckily, the bank has the check and the envelope it was sent in and are aware of the situation. Luckily, even though I am a little too trusting, I am not entirely foolish. Don’t give out your account information or accept out of state checks.
I realize most contractors are more organized and prepared than me, but I’d rather give out redundant advise than see someone else get scammed.