A series of home improvement scams — in which a “contractor” will say a house is badly in need of repairs, even if it’s not, then pocket the renovation payments — have been exposed.
Many crime groups involved in such scams have been found to target elderly people living in houses.
The scams “have many things in common with special fraud, including their targets and methods,” said a senior investigative officer. Special fraud, as it's known, refers to a crime in which fraudsters impersonate relatives or public agency officials over the phone to defraud victims of their money.
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