CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department are investigating a house repair scam that occurred in the Kalihi area between Dec. 28 and 31, 2002.
On Saturday, Dec. 28, a male approached an 85-year-old Caucasian woman who was working in her front lawn. The male suspect, his wife, and two sons offered to paint her house and fix her roof for $7,000. The suspects did some painting and placed a substance on the roof. The job was not completed and the suspect stated that he would return in 100 days to finish the work.
It was later discovered that no preparation work was done on the house prior to painting, inferior paint is believed to have been used, and the black substance used on the roof is still being investigated. This appears to be the newest in an old series of scams in which people offer to do house repairs for a “reasonable” fee and do inferior work without ever completing the job.
”Suspect Description”
“Harry” Male, possibly middle European descent,
Late 30’s, 5’9″,
150 lbs,
Black hair,
Brown eyes,
Olive complexion,
Foreign accent
”Safety Tip”
The public should remember that “reasonable cost” can mean inferior quality and workmanship, and victims may be forced to go to civil court to resolve their complaints.
Honolulu CrimeStoppers Inc., will pay a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information which results in the arrest of a wanted person or the solving of case(s) reported to CrimeStoppers Honolulu Inc. All calls are confidential. Do not approach any suspect. All suspects and wanted fugitives should be considered armed and dangerous. All calls are confidential and anonymous. Persons who participate in the crime, or are victims of the crime are ineligible to receive CrimeStoppers rewards. Be a CrimeStopper and call the hot line at 955-8300 or *Crime on your cellular telephone.
Access the CrimeStoppers Web site at https://www.crimestoppers-honolulu.org or the Student CrimeStoppers Web site at https://www.studentcrimestoppers.org