RICHMOND, Va (WRIC) – The Richmond authorities are looking for a suspect in connection with a rooftop fraud on the south side of the city.
Homeowners in Forest Hill, Westover Hills, and Woodland Heights report to 8News that they’ve paid 55-year-old Thomas Taylor over the past few weeks for roof repairs that they didn’t need later.
Elizabeth Roderick, who oversees the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association’s criminal investigation department, said this is not the first time a rooftop scam has entered the area.
“The man comes to the neighborhood regularly and will reach out to a homeowner and tell them there is a problem with the gutter or clapboard,” she said. “If they don’t know him or are new to the area, they often let him put a ladder to the house and climb the roof. It will often increase the extent of the problem. “
Roderick and other longtime residents said the scammer will hit every house on a street and then disappear for a few months before deciding the coast is clear and returning.
“I’ve known this for at least five years,” said Roderick. “He often gives you a business card that says he’s licensed.”
Here are some tips that can help you spot a potential scammer:
- A credible contractor usually doesn’t knock on business doors.
- They don’t ask for payment until the job is done.
- You can almost always provide license and insurance information.
“We have been repeatedly asked by the police to call them and let them know if we are being approached by (the scammer),” Roderick told 8News.
Richmond police said Taylor was being wanted by authorities and was asking other victims to come forward. If you see Taylor call 911.
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