Con Men Try To Rip Off Man With Roofing Scam

By Craig Day, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- You won't believe what some Tulsa con artists tried to pull over on a senior citizen.  He had just received a new roof a year ago from legitimate roofers.  Now, some con men tried to convince him he needed more work.  It serves as a rip off reminder for all of us.

Derek and Brian Shew are legitimate roofers.  They shingled a home on 5th Street a year ago.  They came back to see what some con artists screwed up.

"I can't believe it," said Derek Shew with Shew's Roofing.

The 78-year-old owner of the house says three men showed up on Thursday claiming he needed work on the roof.  The owner refused and left for a doctor's visit.

"When he came back from the doctor's office, they were waiting in his driveway expecting a check," said Brian Shew.

While he was gone, the con-men got on his roof, ripped off one exhaust pipe, spray painted a few pipes that were already painted.  And, they claimed they put in an attic turbine which turned out to be a used, hail damaged hunk of junk and was only covering another pipe.

"They didn't cut a hole in his roof.  They didn't do anything for him.  They just nailed it right on top of the shingles and waited to collect some money," said Brian Shew.

"They used $15 of material and tried to charge them $1,300 bucks.  It's pretty dirty," said Derek Shew.

While those con artists did all the wrong things, the homeowner did all the right things.  Number one, he wouldn't allow them on the roof to do any work without checking references first.  And, most importantly, he didn't give them any money.

And, the owner called police when the men angrily demanded payment which prompted them to take off empty handed.

"Desperate just to get over on somebody else.  It's wrong.  It shouldn't happen," said Brian Shew.

The Shew brothers will fix the damage caused by the conmen for free.  They just hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

"People definitely need to be on the lookout for people like that," said Derek Shew with Shew's Roofing. 

Again, the case is a reminder to watch out for rip-offs.  If you feel uneasy, you can call police.