Wilton Woman Helps Investigators Nab Shady Contractors

WILTON (CBS13) — A Wilton woman helped crack a suspected contractor con in the wake of this winter's storms.

She worked with state agents on an undercover sting on her neighborhood, and now investigators are warning flooding victims to be on alert for a similar scam.

Maureen Franklin thought she was hiring legitimate contractors to resurface her driveway even though they wouldn't quote her a price.

"I kept saying, 'How much are you going to charge me?' and they kept saying, 'Don't worry about it," she said.

But when the job was done, she wasn't satisfied, showing CBS13 where they missed, how thin the coat was and how cracks were still visible.

She was shocked by the final price—$16,000.

Franklin wrote them a check to get them to go away, then canceled it the next day. She called the Contractors State Licensing Board to complain. They set up a sting, luring two of the suspects back to the scene who thought they were going to get the cash. Instead, they got a trip to jail.

"It was very satisfying," she said.

State investigators say Franklin likely wasn't the only target. They believe the group has been traveling around the region.

It's common for con artists to come out soon after disasters to prey on people looking for quick fixes to their damaged homes.