Berkeley police make arrests linked to home repair scams
Authorities warned that other scammers who have been swindling seniors and their families remain at large.
Berkeley police arrested multiple individuals Monday on Solano Avenue in connection with ongoing home repair scams targeting local residents.
BPD credited its Flock camera system with leading officers to the alleged crooks outside The Oaks climbing gym in North Berkeley shortly after noon.
Local photographer Ariel Nava, who was in the area, said police had detained two men and a teenage boy who were associated with a black cargo van.
Read more about crime in Berkeley.
But even as BPD took those suspects into custody, The Scanner received yet another report of an aggressive door-knocker who fit the description of the same scam crew: a white man with an Irish accent wearing a yellow safety vest.
"Just because we've made some arrests in connection with this doesn't mean we've gotten everybody," said Lt. Jamie Perkins of the Berkeley Police Department on Monday afternoon.
Investigators are still working the case and trying to determine how many victims there may be, she said.
"We do want the public to remain vigilant and aware, to not let their guard down," Perkins said. "And give us a call if they believe they're being scammed in any way."
The Berkeley Scanner initially wrote about the home repair scam in mid-February after learning how several men had told an 89-year-old Berkeley woman they could help her get rid of a raccoon on her roof.
There was no raccoon.
Last week, police issued a community-wide warning about what they described as a "sophisticated and aggressive home repair scam."
"Authorities have identified a pattern of 'itinerant' or 'traveling' scammers — who are targeting vulnerable homeowners with fraudulent roofing and masonry services," Berkeley police wrote in the Nixle alert.
Police said the crew tends to show up unannounced claiming to have found an urgent problem.
"Once on the roof, the scammers intentionally cause damage — such as removing structural blocks or cutting holes — to create a 'crisis,'" BPD wrote.
That prompts increasing demands for upfront payments, authorities said, with some recent victims losing between $10,000 and $450,000 due to the "high-pressure tactics," BPD said.
Similar scam reports have been circulating in Berkeley since at least last year. But recently they've started to pick up.
On Sunday evening, one local resident said a neighbor had been contacted by scammers in lime green vests who "spoke with Irish accents and employed Spanish-speaking workers."
The job started out as a $900 repair but soon turned into an $8,000 quote after the crew "claimed to have discovered some other minor work that needed to be done."
"After some discussion, they agreed on $2,000," the resident said. "The contractors could not accept a credit card and wanted cash. The neighbor paid by check, and the contractors asked for two separate checks, each made out to a different name."
Emilie Raguso
On Monday, a different local resident emailed TBS at 2:30 p.m. after a white man in his mid-40s or early 50s with a "heavy Irish-type accent," in a yellow safety vest, "climbed my front steps in North Berkeley, slammed the mail slot door several times [and] rang the doorbell several times in a very aggressive fashion."
When the resident answered the door, the man claimed to be doing work on the block and said something about masonry.
The resident turned him away and quickly called police.
"Went outside to see if he was still in the area. No trace. Perhaps they got the idea that I was calling them in, and took off," he said. "No legitimate contractor operates like this. The aggressive slamming of my mail slot and doorbell ringing is not the mark of a business person."
In their advisory Friday, Berkeley police said residents should watch out for unsolicited offers, Irish or British accents, pressure for cash and lack of credentials.
They warned residents not to accept any unsolicited work and to verify licenses through the state.
Police also urged residents to seek a second opinion about unsolicited repair jobs and to call police — at 510-981-5900 — about suspicious individuals or vehicles, including Ford F-150s with out-of-state plates.
