More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Offers of help have come flooding in for a pensioner who was tricked out of £73,000 savings by rogue builders who said his roof needed mending.
The conmen adopted an eleborate scam by using a reputable Medway roofing company’s name to fleece 71-year-old Malcolm Bishop.
They used headed paper and business cards of genuine Strood-based firm Premier Roofcare to con the OAP and his wife, Jill.
When the managing director of Premier Roofcare found out, he was so disgusted that he offered to oversee repairs to the damage caused to the couple’s bungalow in Strood.
Lee Austin has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with the costs and put out a plea to colleagues in the trade to offer their services.
Within days he had been contacted by scaffold, skip and building companies, all eager to carry out the work at Mr Bishop’s home in River Drive, with the online fundraiser now surpassing £3,800.
The swindle left retired bank employee Mr Bishop “sick” and “suicidal”.
Having worked all their lives, the cash was their nest egg for retirement.
But he said the generosity of well-wishers had “restored his faith in human nature”.
He said: “I’m overwhelmed. I had no idea there were so many nice people out there. People have even offered to put us up in their spare bedroom.”
Initially, one of the three-man gang knocked on the door offering to replace cracked tiles for £1,000 cash before claiming more serious “problems”, including rotting timbers.
Mr Bishop said: “From then on, it just snowballed. He said I would have to hire a generator because they needed to turn the electricity off. And he said he might have to contact the council because the property might need condemning and we might have to find somewhere else to live. I just panicked.”
After five transactions, including withdrawals from rheumatoid arthritis sufferer Jill’s account, alarm bells started to ring.
Mr Bishop tracked down the genuine company’s contact details and boss Mr Austin picked up the call.
Mr Austin said: “I had no idea what he was talking about. This poor man was in tears.
“The roof was completely open at the front and the side, exposing the loft.”
Police are investigating.
If you wish to donate towards the £6,000 target, visit GoFundMe page here.
Among those companies helping out are Aztec Scaffolding, RS Skips and Chandlers Building Supplies.
