Crime Japanese police warn against costly roofing scams

I am posting this because a few days ago, police knocked on our door to warn us of precisely that scam.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is escalating its campaign against fraudulent roofing inspection schemes. These scams involve dishonest contractors duping homeowners into expensive, needless roof repairs by falsely asserting roof damage. To combat the growing number of incidents, the police are stepping up community engagement to educate residents on scam avoidance. This intensified action is a reaction to a worrying increase in grievances reported to the National Consumer Affairs Center. Consultations regarding roofing inspection frauds have soared from 923 in fiscal 2018 to 2,885 in fiscal 2022, indicating a tripling of cases.

Malicious contractors typically approach homeowners with statements intended to provoke fear, such as, "If the roof is blown off, it will cause trouble to the neighbors." Leveraging on the fact that most residents seldom inspect their roofs, scammers sometimes inflict damage themselves — which are hard for homeowners to verify — and then insist on costly repairs. The aftermath of the Noto Peninsula earthquake saw a spike in complaints regarding roofing scams. Some residents reported being coerced into signing overpriced contracts, and facing hefty fees as high as ¥80,000 ($514) to cancel the agreements.

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In March, authorities in Kawasaki apprehended a man in his twenties, previously employed by a renovation firm, for trying to trick a homeowner in his thirties of JPY 520,000 by falsely warning that a section of his roof could come loose. To bolster defences, the police rolled out 200,000 anti-fraud stickers in April, bearing cautionary notes about deceitful service providers and encouraging citizens to report any suspicious activity. These stickers, intended for doorbell placement, are handed out by patrolling officers to raise scam awareness among residents.

A few years ago a company knocked on a family home in Nagasaki prefecture as well with just that scam. Oh we were on a nearby roof and saw how damaged yours was we'll give you a deal if you sign with us now. Number 1 that whole area of the town is family, so lie. Then you have someone else look at the roof, it is fine. Tokyo of course you don't necessarily know your neighbours.