Phantom Fixers

Protect Yourself From Home Service Scams

At Ardmor Construction, we are dedicated to providing valuable information to our community and clients to save you time, money, and improve your quality of life!

Recently, we discovered a troubling investigative report from Kare11, our local NBC news station, that highlights a significant scam affecting home service businesses. This scam is alarmingly convincing, and it’s crucial that we bring awareness to our clients and followers.

The investigative team at Kare11 uncovered that in Minnesota, one scam operation has created over 400 fake businesses by hijacking the Google Business Listings of legitimate companies. Shockingly, they are still operational today!

Could You Fall Victim to This Scam?

Here are some red flags that suggest your plumber, carpet cleaner, or roofer may not be who they claim to be:

1. You Can’t Blindly Trust a Google Search
“Roofers Near Me” is a popular search term that often brings up lesser-known businesses. Though buying local is generally a good practice, scammer target smaller businesses because their online identities are easier to steal.

2. Unrealistically High Ratings; but Only a Few
A high Google Star Rating paired with few reviews can be a warning sign. Scammers can easily fabricate 5-20 reviews, while established companies usually have 50 or more genuine reviews making them harder to imitate.

3. Home Addresses Listed as Business Locations
While many serivce companies start out of home garages, scammers exploit this by listing their operations as legitimate businesses. The home addresses listed weren’t connected to the businesses at all!

4. Upfront ‘Membership Subscriptions’
Be wary of companies asking for an upfront fee claiming it will eliminate service call charges. This tactic is often used to collect your credit card information and can lead to unauthorized transactions. One company was reported to have scammed over $79 million using this scheme!

While these are just a few indicators, they are critical in spotting potential scams.

At Ardmor Construction, we are a mid-sized roofing contractor with a solid reputation built over 7 years of service. We are locally owned and operated. Yes, Sarah, our owner is in the office every day, and we have a real office – you can visit us anytime!

Please protect your family and friends from the rise of scam contractors in our area. Always do your homework on any home service provider. And for all your roofing, siding, gutter, window and decking needs… JUST CALL ARDMOR!

For more information on this issue, we recommend watching the video linked below:

Investigative Report on Phantom Fixers