Police arrest 1 in roofing scam case, look for another


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Update: Weber County Sheriff's Office tweeted that they have arrested Alma Delia Contreras, 46, a woman wanted for her alleged involvement in a series of roofing scams. Police are still looking for the man using the name Samuel Sivirian. He is driving a white 2001 GMC Yukon with Utah plate number D784GX or a blue and silver 1985 Chevy pick-up with Idaho plate number 2M66721.

Anyone with information can call 801-778-6631 or 801-629-8221.


SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine this: You hire a roofer and pay a chunk of money up front. Then you’re not satisfied with the work and want your money back, but the roofer is nowhere to be found.

Toulee Yang’s home needed a new roof. Someone knocked on his door offering to fix it.

"He tells me, ‘I do good deal. I give you half price,’" Yang said. "He says he’s going to do the whole roof."

Toulee was sold on a deal seemingly too good to be true — $3,000 for the entire roof. The man flashed a business card to show he was legit.

"He say he want a thousand down and I say, ‘OK, I give you a thousand dollar,’ and write him a $1,000 check,” Yang explained.

Just like that, the deal was done.

Yang said "Samuel the roofer" brought in a crew, worked a five-hour day, and by the end of it, things did not look good.

The roof was unfinished, unsightly, and Yang could not believe what he said the roofer did next.

"He says, ‘No! You got to give me a thousand. If you don't I pack up. Call my team, and we'll go right now," Yang said.

Eventually, Yang gave in to the threat and Samuel the roofer never came back.

"It's like fishing. You cast out 100 times, you catch one fish,” said Weber County Sheriff's Sgt. Lane Findlay.

Tips
The Weber County Sheriff's Office provided tips to protect yourself from these types of scams.
  • Be leery of extremely low prices
  • Look for markings on the vehicle identifying it as an established business
  • Ask for a contractor’s license and business license and check them out with the BBB and Department of Professional Licensing
  • Going door to door and requesting money up front should be a giant red flag

He said Yang is just one of several victims of Samuel the roofer, better known as Samuel Sivirian.

Findlay said the roofer has been running a scam for at least a couple of months with a woman named Alma Contreras. They go door-to-door offering low prices and getting big money up front.

"It seems like they're kind of trying to milk people for as much as they can get. And when they can't get any more, they just up and leave,” Findlay said.

Deputies are hunting for the roofing team, hoping others don't fall prey to their alleged tactics.

In the meantime, Yang is out more than $2,000 and must pay close to $7,000 more to fix his roof.

From this maddening experience he has learned that a business card boasting 20 years of experience should prompt people to wonder, experience in what?

"My advice: Don't trust people," he said.

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Mike Headrick

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