More Toronto homeowners targeted in alleged roofing scam as police update investigation

For several weeks, CityNews has been reporting on a roofing contractor accused of stealing from homeowners in Toronto. Since then, more people have come forward to share similar stories.

“I feel humiliated that we fell for this,” said a woman who lives in Toronto’s East. She asked not to be identified but tells CityNews she’s now out $6,000 after a knock at her door.

“They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.”

Two men, claiming to be roofing contractors, told her husband they noticed problems on their home’s roof.

“They said they were working around the corner doing a roof repair, and a drone they were using had shown a hole in our roof and a raccoon going in and out,” the Toronto woman explained.

She and her husband allowed the workers to attend to the house and check it out. They then claimed there wasn’t just a hole in the roof but more problems.

“They said, ‘look at those eavestroughs; they’re all weak and need to be replaced.’ They also claimed the flat roof in the back of our home was spongy and waterlogged. They said we would have leaks, and this was really serious.”

Toronto couple paid alleged contractors $6,000 upfront 

The couple was about to leave town for a trip, so they said there was added pressure to get the job done quickly. They agreed to a price of $12,500 and paid $6,000 upfront for a deposit, all in cash.

“We told them we could write them a check, but they made a big deal about cash being better, so I went to the bank and got the cash,” the woman said.

The workers told the husband and wife they would return the next day to start the job. Hours later, the husband decided to check things out for himself.

“My husband went back on the roof and checked the eavestroughs, which seemed fine. He also checked the flat roof, which was not spongy,” the woman said. “Then we became very suspicious.”

They immediately called to cancel the work and asked for a refund of the deposit that had been put down.

“The person who answered the phone said the money would be returned the following Monday, several weeks later. Obviously, the money is not coming back.”

Other Toronto resident out thousands in similar fraud scheme

CityNews reported on a similar story that happened around the same time —  just a few streets away from where this woman lives.

“They knocked on the door and said, ‘hey, I think we saw a raccoon on your roof,’ “Johnny Wu told CityNews in October.

Wu’s family is out $1,000 after a similar issue. In both cases, the company involved was revealed to be M.B. Roofing and Masonry. CityNews has tracked these alleged contractors for some time, and despite numerous attempts, they won’t respond to the allegations.

Their only address listed is a P.O. Box at a U.P.S. store. Their website contains fake reviews, with photos stolen from other legitimate roofing companies.

“These guys are not legitimate,” the unnamed woman told CityNews.

“I wish we had done our due diligence and checked these guys out before we paid them.”

She and her husband called the police. A detective eventually came to their home and said there would be a follow-up.

“[The police] said they’d have a fraud investigator contact me, but I haven’t heard anything. Nobody followed up,” she claimed.

CityNews reached out to Toronto police, asking about the status of the investigation and if any arrests had been made.

“I haven’t heard anything about this, and that surprises me,” the woman added.

A Toronto police spokesperson confirmed that investigators had received several complaints alleging similar fraudulent activity.

“We’ve received calls where a group defrauds complainants of people in a roofing scam in the Greater Toronto Area. Investigations are active and ongoing,” the spokesperson said. “T.P.S. investigators are also working with other agencies to identify and locate those responsible.”

Toronto police did not say if they intend to issue a public alert to warn others. The woman who recently spoke to CityNews is now hoping her story does.

“We are not getting our money back, that’s gone, but if we can at least spread the word and maybe protect one other person out there from falling for it, I’ll be happy.”

Have an issue, story or question you’d like us to look into? Reach out here.