In the wake of several severe storms impacting the Chicago area this summer, it's not unusual to encounter scammers knocking on your door, telling you your home is in need of urgent repairs.
The unlicensed contractors frequently persuade homeowners to pay up front before never finishing the work or doing a poor job that requires more repairs.
In a recent case, a nun in suburban Glenview was targeted by scammers committing home repair fraud, one of whom is an international fugitive, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.
Former nun Christine Statkiewicz can be often found in her garden in a quaint Glenview subdivision, which she described as a tightly-knit community.
"It’s very quiet, mature trees. All the neighbors care about each other,” Statkiewicz said of her neighborhood.
In March, Statkiewicz said she was in her garden when she was approached by a pair of contractors who were working on the house next door.
The contractors told Statkiewicz that there were cracks in her home's foundation, adding that they offered to "check it" for $800.
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Statkiewicz agreed, and the two men immediately began digging trenches on both sides of her home.
At this time, the contractors told Statkiewicz that they now needed $20,000 to fix her home's foundation.
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“They saw that I wore a cross and they said ‘oh, we're Catholic.' they know that I have a special needs child. They saw Nick, they met him,” Statkiewicz said.
Statkiewicz said she spends most of her money on care for her adopted son, Nick. In this case, she was persuaded to cut the contractors a check for $19,000.
"All of a sudden, the one guy says, 'You know, your house is not level. Your walls are going to start falling down. We need another $20,000,'" Statkiewicz said.
Statkiewicz then gave pause, calling a friend whose husband works as a civil engineer.
Her friend's husband asked if Statkiewicz had a basement, to which she replied that she did not. The man then called police and met Statkiewicz at the house.
Dart said it's a phone call like the one Statkiewicz made that homeowners should make before giving money to someone knocking on your door.
“We don't catch people that often because they're usually pretty quick in their operation. They know what they're doing. They spend days, weeks identifying someone who's usually alone, usually a senior,” Dart said.
Dart added that surveillance cameras near Statkiewicz's home helped them identify the contractors as Patrick McDonagh and Martin Ward.
McDonaugh was charged with aggravated home repair fraud.
“[McDonaugh] was taken into custody, brought in front of a judge and unfortunately the judge did not take his passport away from him and he has dual citizenship in Ireland. And hours after they have ended …the arraignment on the case, he took off back to Ireland,” Dart said.
Ward, the other contractor captured on Statkiewicz's video cameras, has a warrant out for his arrest on unrelated theft charges. He has yet to be charged in this case.
In the meantime, Statkiewicz is left dealing with the fallout of the scam, hoping others can spot the signs that she missed.
“I hurt my back by shoveling back the trenches and stuff,” Statkiewicz said. “I don't understand why people can't get a job, a real job.”
According to Dart, there's essentially no situation where you should give your money to someone coming to your home unsolicited.
Dart also advised residents to consider installing video surveillance cameras and be aware of anyone rushing you to make a decision.
