Our truly elderly uncle had been living in her own dwelling as a widow for many years, then there were enough of her own children who lived nearby who could stop in to pay her a visit & tend to her needs without requiring any outside assistance; My fantastic friend and I knew that one day she wouldn’t be able to stay in her own home, although no one wanted to admit it; What my friend and I didn’t foresee is that Aunt Jo would be scammed by a supplier impersonating her heating & cooling supplier! It all began when she received a PC call from someone claiming that her HVAC system was due for repair; She didn’t think the name on her caller ID & told them that her HVAC supplier was so-and-so.
The caller then claimed that they had taken over her HVAC corporation’s repair programs & that her boiler was due for an inspection & cleaning.
They told her that the inspection would cost fifty dollars & that a serviceman would be there the next day, however completely convinced, she agreed to the appointment and, as they promised, a woman arrived the truly next day! Naturally the scam artist was dressed in official-looking clothes, was friendly, & carried with him a shop vac & a toolbox! After our uncle led him to the basement, she busied herself upstairs until she was finished, which is when she presented her with the bill. She was shocked to see that the charge was for five hundred dollars! When she balked at the amount, she suddenly became quite intimidating & she felt that she had no choice but to write him a check to cover the bill… Once she left, she called her HVAC supplier to complain about the bill. Imagine her surprise when she learned that it was a scam!