Police Warn of Roofing Scams

Thursday’s hail storm left many homes damaged and some people may be taking advantage of that situation to scam residents out of money.

When Lockport resident Amanda Smith received a phone call, the person calling believed they had dialed a roofing company.

That’s when Smith believed her phone number had been cloned and was being used to call people to pitch roof repairs.

“I’ve answered at least 200 phone calls explaining (the situation) to people, please do not answer your phone, do not answer your door,” Smith said.

Smith said she’s noticed people in white vans going around the neighborhood calling themselves Advanced Team Construction Roofing Repair.

“Believe it or not, last week when I was at work, they actually called the company. They called so many times and I thought, ‘What the hell? I told you we’re not interested.’ They don’t take no for an answer. They then start calling you from other numbers, which I’m assuming are other numbers that they cloned to look like somebody else.”

Mike Osborne, managing partner of Advanced Roofing Team Construction, would like the public to know that despite the similarities in the name, his business is in no way affiliated with Advanced Team Construction Roofing Repair.

“We are an A+ rated company,” Osborne said. ”We’ve been in business for 20 years and if someone needs a free estimate, give us a call, because I’d be more than willing to do it.”

The Will County Sheriff’s Office has been informed of the situation. According to Smith, they told her she could press charges.

“We just want it to stop,” she said. “I don’t have time for that. But if they don’t stop, which they haven’t, then we’re going to press charges. It’s ridiculous. They’re harassing us.”

A message left with the Will County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately returned.

Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer told the Herald-News that residents should not trust people they don’t know.

“We have a concern that some of these contractors are not legit, and we are taking steps to make sure they are legit,” Meyer said. “Tomorrow, our village will be full of contractors from out of state, so go through your insurance company, and not just anyone.”