Our Troubleshooters report is about a woman who appears to have been scammed.
She says she turned over 2 insurance checks totaling more than $13,000.00 to another woman she had never met before, but who promised to use the money to make repairs to a home damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
Virginia Almeida says a woman knocked on her door in February 2018, 6 months after Hurricane Harvey.
“Had you ever seen her in your life? No,” Almeida told us.
Almeida says the woman told her she represented a company called Extraordinary Exteriors Roofing.
She identified the woman as Sable Acain,and went on to tell the Troubleshooters about how Acain sat right there in her home that same day and helped her file an insurance claim over the phone for repairs for damages caused by Harvey.
Almeida says Acain also told her to make sure to contact her as soon as the first check for repairs came in.
Almeida says she did.
The check was for more than $6400.00.
“Like I said, I had never done this before. So I fell for it. I gave it to her.”
Almeida admits that a crew did come out and put new shingles on her roof, but they never did all the repairs they were supposed to, or had the roof inspected.
A letter, from Ocwen Loan Servicing, clearly states that all work done with the loan, must be inspected.
Almeida says the next time she saw Acain was when the 2nd insurance check came on March 31st.
“So she says since you’re going to get another one, you make sure you call me as soon as you get it. Call me. And I’ll come and do the same thing. I said, but are you gonna finish the rest of it ? She goes ‘yeah I am.”
And that was the last time Almeida says she saw Acain.
So 2 checks totalling more than $13,000.00 for a new roof, gutters, a wooden fence that had been knocked down, and a door to the storage shed.
The Troubleshooters called Acain at 1;00 this afternoon. Her mailbox was full and not accepting any messages.
We’ve called 3 more times today. Same message.
Almeida told us she doesn’t have any more money for repairs.
She’s on a fixed income and cares for a handicapped son.
But she has filed a police report, charging Acain with fraud.
“What have you learned from this ? Not to trust anybody. I have to ask questions like I should have asked for credentials. Something.”
The Troubleshooters checked the Better Business Bureau ratings for Extraordinary Exteriors. It’s not a BBB accredited business, but it does have an ‘A-‘ rating.
Sable Acain is listed as co-owner.
Interestingly, they opened for business in December 2017, 4 months after Hurricane Harvey.
I called the number for the business listed on the BBB website. Same message. Mailbox full. Not accepting messages.
If you need help from the Troubleshooters, just send us an email at troubleshooters at k-z-t-v -ten-dot-com.
