SAN MATEO — Three men were arrested on suspicion of defrauding elder adults through a fake roofing business selling unnecessary services that they never completed, San Mateo police said Thursday.
The three suspects conducted their work under the name of a fake contracting business called Statewide Roofing and Siding, according to a press release from the San Mateo Police Department. They used a counterfeit contracting license and overcharged victims for construction work that was never finished, police said.
Several of the victims reported recalling the suspects as having Irish or British accents, police said.
On May 7, police received a report from one victim who believed the contractors he hired to fix his mother’s roof were scamming him. The victim hired the suspects after a free roof inspection discovered what they said was damage that required minor repairs. The suspects continued to add services and charges until finally suggesting that the entire roof required replacing, police said.
San Mateo police began investigating the fraudulent business in November 2023 and arrested the three suspects — aged 22, 39 and 40 — on May 8.
The three men, all residents of Herndon, Va., were arrested on suspicion of theft from an elder adult, obtaining money through false pretenses, use of a fraudulent contractor’s license and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Authorities said they discovered that the business also operated under the name Teco Roofing and Masonry and that the suspects used fake names. San Mateo police worked with other county law enforcement agencies to find additional victims.
Police asked any additional victims who had work done to their homes by Statewide Roofing and Siding or Teco Roofing and Masonry to contact the department at 650-522-7650 and ask for Officer Luke Thornburg.