2 Men Swindle Woman out of Nearly $370,000

2 Men Swindle Woman out of Nearly $370,000
Police car. (Nick Starichenko/Shutterstock)
Bowen Xiao
3/13/2018
Updated:
3/13/2018

A woman from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, was scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by contractors.

She hired the two men not long after her husband passed away.

The swindle began after Nathan Hanson and John Born were hired to complete some renovations in her home, FOX9 reported. But the contractors kept asking for more and more money each time.

Both men are now facing felony charges for allegedly cheating the woman out of nearly $370,000, according to a criminal complaint obtained by FOX9.

The woman, of unknown age, was unnamed in the complaint. She was referred to the contractors by an acquaintance of hers.

The men first told her that they found black mold in her home and that the house would need major repairs. Court documents show that they were taking out entire walls in her house.

Hanson and Born also told her that a simple paint job would cost about $100,000.

The complaint details how some hired sub-contractors believed the renovations were “odd and did not need to be done.”

At one point Hanson even started to pursue the woman’s savings. He even convinced her to hand over $90,000 and to "give it to him, to keep it in a safe in his home where it would be safer.”

To top it off, he also made the woman purchase two properties in East Bethel. One of them he rented out and the other home he lived in himself.

Instead of paying rent on his properties, Hanson went on trips to Sturgis, Las Vegas, and California.

Both suspects will make their first court appearances next month.

The scams were not only happening in Minnesota.

The scheme has now made its way into West Michigan, according to the Wyoming Department of Police Safety.

Scammers pose as contractors before taking money from the victims. Authorities said the scammers normally target elderly homeowners by telling them that something on the exterior of their home needs repair, ABC Affiliate WZZM reported.
From NTD.tv
Recommended Video:
Bowen Xiao was a New York-based reporter at The Epoch Times. He covers national security, human trafficking and U.S. politics.
twitter