Roofing Rip-Off Horror Stories, Vol. 1: Three Real Roofing Scam Cases

Photo: CH L / Unsplash

This is the first entry in our Roofing Rip-Off Horror Stories series — real, documented cases of homeowners who hired the wrong roofer. Every story here is pulled from court records, police reports, or state attorney general filings and verified against the primary source. No embellishment needed; this is what happens when you don't vet who's standing on your roof.

Case 1: The Company That Didn't Exist ($340,000, California)

In March 2024, four elderly residents of Marin County, California — ages 78 to 85 — were approached by a crew claiming to work for "Nashes Roofing & Construction," a company supposedly based in San Francisco.

There was no such company.

John McNamara, 49, and Dean Morgan, 34, along with several unidentified accomplices, presented themselves as licensed roofing contractors. They weren't licensed. They weren't even a real business — they maintained a fake website and handed out realistic-looking business cards and invoices. Some victims were approached with unsolicited door-knocks claiming their roof needed urgent repair. Over the course of the scheme, the pair collected more than $340,000 from their four Marin County victims combined, secured through excessively large downpayment deposits before disappearing having done little to no real work.

In February 2026, both men pleaded guilty to grand theft by false pretenses in Marin County Superior Court and were sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison. Both men had already been convicted in Colorado in March 2025 for a nearly identical scam, and Morgan was separately convicted in Sacramento County — between all three cases, each is now serving 9 years and 8 months.

Source: Marin County, CA District Attorney, official press release, February 19, 2026.

Case 2: The $21,000 Deposit for a Roof That Never Started (Florida)

In Port Orange, Florida, a homeowner paid Andrew Ingram, 43, of Edgewater-based Busy Bee Roofing a $21,000 deposit in November for a new roof.

Ingram never applied for the required permit. He never delivered materials. He never showed up on any of the agreed-upon start dates. When the homeowner asked for a refund, Ingram stopped responding entirely.

Volusia County Sheriff's deputies confirmed Ingram is not a licensed roofer and issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of scheming to defraud and grand theft, asking the public for help locating him.

Source: Volusia County Sheriff's Office, via ClickOrlando, April 28, 2025.

Case 3: $54,000 Taken, Not a Single Repair Made (Ohio)

Michael Windle operated Rite-On Roofing and Siding in Toledo, Ohio. Between 2021 and 2022, he collected deposits from homeowners for roofing and siding repairs and replacements — and delivered nothing.

More than a dozen customers filed complaints. Some waited eight weeks without a single repair completed or a dollar refunded. Combined, Windle is accused of taking roughly $54,000 from Ohio homeowners.

The Better Business Bureau revoked Rite-On's accreditation. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued Windle under the state's Consumer Sales Practices Act, seeking reimbursement for victims, civil penalties, and court costs — up to $25,000 per violation. Several criminal indictments were also issued in Lucas County.

Source: Ohio Attorney General's Office, via Roofing Contractor magazine, February 15, 2023.

Why This Is How Roofers Rip You Off

All three cases share the same playbook, just with different names on the invoice:

• A company you can't verify. No license record, no business registration, no real address you can check. A real roofer has a license number your state or county board can confirm before a single shingle gets touched.
• A large payment collected before any work happens. $340,000, $21,000, $54,000 — in every case, the money moved before the homeowner had any way to confirm who they were really dealing with. In California, a contractor is legally barred from collecting more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price as a deposit, whichever is less (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(d)) — large upfront deposits are themselves a warning sign, not just industry norm.
• Pressure to decide fast. Unsolicited door-knocks claiming "your roof needs urgent repair," limited-time offers, or refusing to let the homeowner get a second quote.
• Disappearing once the money clears. Little to no real work, no response to refund requests, and in two of these three cases, the "contractor" wasn't licensed at all.

Photo: Scott Graham / Unsplash

This is exactly what makes roofing fraudsters so effective: for as long as the check hasn't bounced, they look like a legitimate company.

How to Avoid Being the Next Case in This Series

• Verify the contractor's license number directly with your state or county licensing board — not with a number the contractor gives you over the phone.
• Search the business name plus the word "complaints" or "scam" before signing anything.
• Never pay the full amount upfront, and know your state's legal deposit limit if it has one.
• Get a second quote. A company that pressures you to decide today, before you can compare, is a red flag on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do roofers rip you off most often?

The most common pattern across real cases: an unlicensed or fictitious "company" collects a large payment upfront, then either disappears, does little to no work, or never shows up at all. Targeting elderly homeowners and unsolicited door-knocking after a storm are two of the most common versions of this.

How do I know if roofing fraudsters are targeting my area?

Check your state attorney general's consumer alerts page and your county licensing board's complaint list before hiring anyone who approaches you directly — especially after a storm.

Danger Signs to Watch For

Every red flag below is pulled directly from the three cases above — not a generic list:

• Demanded a large deposit before any work began
• Knocked on the door unannounced, claiming the roof needed urgent repair
• Couldn't be found in any business license or registration database
• Maintained a fake or fictitious company identity, down to a working-looking website
• Wasn't a licensed contractor at all
• Never pulled a permit for the job
• Missed every agreed-upon start date, then stopped answering calls or texts
• Took payment but never started the work, for weeks on end
• Had its Better Business Bureau accreditation revoked

If a roofer matches two or more of these, stop before you sign anything.

This is not the right roofer. If you want a contractor who's actually licensed, actually local, and actually vetted, start with Find The Right Roofer instead of whoever knocks on your door after a storm.