Sep 24, 2009 9:38 am US/Eastern
Arrest Made In Bensalem Craigslist Contractor Scam
BENSALEM, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
Police in Philadelphia have arrested a man accused of using the online marketplace 'Craigslist' to scam prospective customers out of large sums of money.
A Montgomery County man, who spoke exclusively with CBS 3 while asking to remain anonymous, says he was scammed by a contractor he found on Craigslist.
According to sources, there have been a total of 19 alleged victims in Bucks and Montgomery Counties who all fell victim to the same scam.
"I think it's a shame for the 19 other victims, I just hope he gets what coming to him," the man said. "People don't deserve that, it's a bad economy as it is."
The alleged victim says he hired a man named Jason Matthews through Craigslist to do painting and plumbing work on his two Philadelphia rental properties. But according to the victim, Matthews took the $1,500 deposit and never did any of the work.
According to police, when some of the victims attempted to contact Matthews for their money to be returned, the scam artists told his 'clients' to go to court.
Police report that in similar cases, Matthews has taken the deposit and returned to the homes to do very little work, usually only the demolition work.
Matthews was picked up by Philadelphia Police on a warrant Tuesday evening.
Bensalem Police are currently investigating all cases involving the contractor. If you have any information about this case or have similar complaints regarding Jason Matthews, please contact the Bensalem police department at 215-633-3668.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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