They came to our home and offered to clean the gutters from our home for free. My mother (also elderly) accepted this offer.

While cleaning the gutters, they removed bricks from our chimney and threw them down onto our backyard. Then they came back to my parents, told them that the chimney was in need of **immediate** repair, and if we *didn’t* agree to have them repair our chimney, they would “call the city, report the damage, and have our home condemned.” They specifically requested $20,000 in the form of a certified check. My father (again: elderly, not in good mental health standing) went to the bank to get this certified check before my sister (and the bank!) stepped in.

**Please protect your elderly parents.** Please be aware of this scam. Do not let anyone in the GB or Marine Park area clean your gutters out of the goodness of their hearts- they are going to scam you. My sister and I do not live at with our parents- we got *very lucky* that my sister was able to intervene and shut it down because she just so happened to be home today.

The man who approached my parents was a short, fat, man with an Irish accent with a license plate from New Jersey. He was wearing a hat, and the color of his shirt was tan, but there was no company logo on this shirt.

If you need help convincing someone that they are being scammed, please keep in mind the signs of a scam: A legitimate company will not extort you, they will not give you an ultimatum, there should be no sense of urgency, and the most they can do is call 311 to “report” you to the city. They will not threaten you, they will not ask for a check or cash; they will give you the option to pay by cash or check, but most modern companies accept payment via credit card also. Remind your parents that making a website is incredibly easy, and that having a website does not speak to the legitimacy of a company.

Worst of all? They killed our daisies ):

This happened literally thirty minutes ago today. Just spreading the word. Please stay alert!!