Serving Our Seniors Magazine Oct-Dec 2023

Dan McLaughlin, Erie County Financial Elder Abuse Investigator and Stephanie McDermott, Perkins Police Officer, are involved in a case, of a 66 year old male, who was ripped off in a home repair scam. The perpetrator, Tim Jajkuvowski, who claims to own a roofing company, “Reflections Roofing and More, LLC,” based in Michigan. This person accepted $3,800.00 from the older adult, in June 2020, to replace his gutters. Tim Jajkuvowski never did the work and was never seen, again. The victim decided to hire Tim, because he was doing home improvements on the neighbor’s home. The neighbor appeared satisfied, and therefore, it was assumed this person could be trusted to work on his home, too. When Tim stopped responding to the victim’s attempts to schedule his work, the older adult brought this to the attention of his private attorney. The attorney explained this not just a civil matter, but a felony crime against an elderly person. KUDOS to that attorney for being so perceptive! The attorney advised the victim to file criminal charges against Tim Jajkuvowski… And so he did. There is a warrant for his arrest, which will allow the officers to travel beyond the boundaries of Erie County to pick him up. For now, it’s simply a matter of finding the perpetrator. If you are familiar with this person or business, you are encouraged to contact the Perkins Police Department at 419-627-0824, ext 1. A Case of a Local Home Improvement Scam • Google the name of the person and the business before you decide to hire. In this case, there was plenty of evidence posted that suggests this has happened to others. • Get three quotes, in writing, so you can compare and contrast the estimates. This is how to make sure you are getting a fair shake. If you don’t know how to interpret estimates, call Serving Our Seniors (419-624-1856). We will help you scrutinize the quote. • When you get the three written quotes, contact Serving Our Seniors and ask for Consumer Advocate, Chris Rankin, to conduct a public records background check on the people/businesses you are considering to hire. He will check public records with area courts and law enforcement agencies, at no cost to you. The findings will be printed and given to you to read. • Have a written agreement between you and the person doing the work. Don’t sign anything that you don’t understand. • Make sure the agreement states that you will pay no more than 50% down. Never pay for the full job in advance of the work being done. The agreement should state the date the work will begin and when the work will be completed. • Check with the city/village/township, where you live, to verify the person/business is registered with your community’s building and zoning department to perform home improvement work. • Don’t use Facebook or Craig’s List to find someone to hire. • Don’t hire someone who is going door to door. • Call Dan McLauglin, to think out loud with him over the phone, before you take any action. Dan’s passion is preventing elder fraud/exploitation. You can call him at 419-503-5385 if you think you just made a bad decision or just need someone to talk to before you act. You can call him in the evening and on the weekends, too. Officer McDermott and Dan McLaughlin have this advice to protect you from being a victim of a home repair scam: Dan McLaughlin, Financial Elder Abuse Investigator Officer Stephanie McDermott, Perkins Police Department 13