Dodgy handymen use ‘standover tactics’ to steal $15,000 from retiree
Bogus tradies have swiped $15,000 from an elderly Mt Eliza woman, forcing police to warn of travelling con artists in Melbourne’s southeast.
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Travelling con artists posing as handymen have fleeced a Mt Eliza retiree of $15,000.
And it’s prompted a police warning for others to be wary of fake tradies as the warmer months approach.
The elderly woman, who did not want to be named, said she was out the front of her house on October 26, when she was approached by two men in hi-vis tops.
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The men, believed to be in their 30s with Irish accents, offered to repair the woman’s roof.
The woman, who is in her 70s, told the Leader her tin roof was in dire need of repairs, so she accepted the offer from the strange men.
Once they were in the roof cavity, the men threw a large sheet of iron onto the front lawn and put a foot through the plaster in the ceiling, leaving a big hole.
They then demanded she hand over $15,000.
“They knew exactly what they were doing — they were to hassle me as much as possible and create as much danger [as possible] in a short space of time,” she said.
After she returned from the bank, one of the men distracted her while the other snatched the envelope containing the money.
She said they then disappeared, leaving a huge hole in her ceiling.
One of the men was tall and thin and the other as “plump” with a “round, happy face”, she said.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Luke Walsh said anyone approached by tradespeople should first get a written quote, as well as the name and address of the business.
Detective Sen-Constable Walsh said other Mt Eliza homeowners should be alert to the scam.
“When (scammers) hit one area, they’ll saturate it,” Detective Sen-Constable Walsh said.
A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesman said CAV had received four reports of fake tradies in the Mornington Peninsula area in the 2017-18 financial year — up from two in the previous year, but that did not include reports made to Victoria Police.
The spokesman said fake tradies tended to “ramp up their activity” in spring and summer because people are more likely to be interested in home improvement projects when the weather was warmer.
If you fall victim to scammers, report it immediately to local police.
Dob in travelling conmen to the hotline on 1300 133 408.
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