The average victim is 76 years old. Scammers pose as roofers, show up uninvited at homes, and pressure residents into paying large sums for unnecessary or fraudulent work, in some cases deliberately damaging roofs themselves to manufacture a reason for costly repairs.
One North Seattle woman, Evelyn, a widow, nearly lost $34,000 to the scheme before a timely intervention stopped the payments.
"He was very well spoken, very nicely dressed. Loved his accent, which was Irish," Evelyn said of the man who came to her door.
He told her that her chimney "really was on the edge of destruction and needed to be taken down." Trusting his assessment, she handed over a $30,000 check and a $4,000 check.
Evelyn, whose husband David served in Special Forces in Vietnam and passed away two years ago, said she is still adjusting to navigating decisions without him.
"I am still getting used to not having his wise ness with me about things that I don't know about," she said.
Her instincts eventually kicked in.
"I just got suspicious and thought I need to find out more about this before they go forward," Evelyn said.
She called a friend, who contacted police and reached Chris and Debra Young, longtime family friends connected to Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 423.
Chris Young, who has helped Evelyn and her late husband for a decade, moved quickly. He blocked a worker's vehicle from leaving the scene while his wife Debra called 911.
"The scam was just ridiculous,” Young said.
Community Service Officer Jane Dore stepped in, setting up at Evelyn's dining room table to halt the payments.
"We sat down with her, and it honestly took about an hour, it felt like three hours, to put a stop payment on these two checks," Dore said.
Evelyn's funds are expected to be returned. But Dore said the emotional toll of these cases stays with her.
"It just makes me sick to my stomach to see these people prey on the elderly," she said.
Community Service Officer Supervisor Peter Kalmes noted that the scammers work hard to appear credible.
"They make it look legitimate to the best of their ability," he said.
Young, unwilling to walk away after the ordeal, is now rallying volunteers from the Vietnam Veterans of America to repair the damage left at Evelyn's home. His wife Deb credited the community response and the involvement of Seattle police with preventing a far worse outcome.
"Without them, this would have been bad," she said.
Evelyn, for her part, is grateful.
"If it hadn't turned out so well, I would be mad as a wet hen about it, but they saved my bacon," she said.
The Seattle Police Department, which has 20 community service officers and four supervisors working as a bridge between patrol and the community, offered the following tips to avoid roofing scams:
- Do not allow uninvited strangers onto your roof. Investigators have found that some fraudsters deliberately cause damage to roofs and then charge to repair it.
- Legitimate roofing businesses will not demand cash-only payments. Research any company before signing agreements or allowing work to begin.
- Scammers may wear clothing bearing logos of legitimate companies. Independently verify workers by looking up the company and calling a number you find yourself — not one from a flyer or business card they provide.
- Talk to elderly family members or neighbors who live alone about verifying any contractor's identity before allowing work to begin. Scammers often use names similar to reputable local companies, adding words like "and Masonry" or "and Waterproofing" to avoid direct trademark infringement while trading on name recognition.
- If you hold Power of Attorney for an elderly relative, stay involved in financial decisions while still including them in the process.
- Always get at least three estimates before hiring anyone for roof or chimney work and look for companies offering standard warranties of 10 to 50 years on materials and labor.
- If you believe you have been scammed, call 911. "There is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed," police said, noting that scammers are skilled at convincing even savvy individuals that their services are legitimate.