Beware of Fake Contractor Businesses

A few of the neologisms that became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic have become permanent parts of our vocabulary. Half a decade later, we still speak of doomscrolling and of hybrid work. Many of the other neologisms of that era are terms we would be just as happy to forget. No one wants to remember social distancing, even though some could argue that, even as we have returned to in person work and school, we have remained just as emotionally distant as we ever were, even in the darkest days of the lockdown. Likewise, no one wants to think about the K-shaped curve of early 2021, where the rich got richer as they worked from home while receiving their full salaries and paying down debt with the money that, before the pandemic, had paid for gasoline and Wawa coffee on the commute to work. The K-shaped curve continues, though. The people who could afford to hire home contractors for remodeling projects in 2021 are largely still the ones who can afford to hire them today. Likewise, during the pandemic, a flurry of fake small businesses applied for business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), in addition to numerous real small businesses that applied. Although the PPP has long since ended, it appears that fake small businesses are still a thing, including several home remodeling businesses in Pennsylvania. If you lost money trying to engage the services of home contracting businesses that exist only on paper, contact a Philadelphia home contractor fraud lawyer.

Lower Merion Police Arrest Duo Accused of Operating Several Fake Home Improvement Businesses

Police in Lower Merion Township arrested two men who they allege jointly operate websites advertising three home contracting businesses, but that these businesses have never performed repairs or building projects for customers. In a situation that is a mirror image of Jack and Meg White of the White Stripes legally taking on the same last name so that they could persuade the public that they were siblings, the defendants have different last names, but a police investigation revealed that they are brothers and both changed their last names from the family name under which they were registered at birth.

The pair are facing charges for a variety of financial crimes, including corrupt organizations, making a false statement to induce agreement for home improvement services, and accepting advance payment for services they did not perform. They were jailed in March 2026, and each defendant’s bail was set at $99,000. After that, there were no further news reports about whether either of them posted bail or entered pleas. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal case against them, customers whom they defrauded have the right to file lawsuits against them in civil court.

Contact CONSUMERLAWPA.com About Home Improvement Fraud

A Philadelphia consumer law attorney can help you if a home contracting business defrauded you.  Contact at CONSUMERLAWPA.com to set up a free, confidential consultation.

Source:

patch.com/pennsylvania/ardmore/pair-conducted-high-dollar-contractor-fraud-lower-merion-police