A Pickering, Ontario woman says she lost $3,000 after hiring a door-to-door contractor to restore the interlocking stones in her front yard. The contractor allegedly began the work, requested payment upfront, and then disappeared after only a few hours on the property.

A Pickering, Ontario woman says she lost $3,000 after agreeing to hire a door-to-door contractor for work on the interlocking stones in her front yard.

Heidi Aprile said the paving stones had special personal meaning because they had been installed by her late husband. When a contractor came to her door in April offering to lift the stones, pressure-wash the driveway, and seal the area to make it look new again, she agreed to proceed.

According to Aprile, she signed a contract with a company called Compact Masonry and Roofing. Workers returned the following day and began pulling up the existing stonework. Shortly after the work started, Aprile said she was asked to provide $3,000. She paid the money, but the workers allegedly left after only a few hours and did not return.

Aprile said she never heard from the contractor again after handing over the payment. Attempts by reporters to contact the business reportedly went unanswered, and the address listed on the company’s brochure and contract did not appear to lead to an active business location.

The incident is an example of a common pattern in door-to-door contractor scams. In many cases, a person offers home repair, driveway, roofing, paving, or masonry services directly at the homeowner’s door. The pitch may involve a discounted price, urgent timing, or pressure to make a quick decision. The key risk is often the demand for a large upfront payment before the work is completed.

These scams tend to increase during warmer months, when homeowners are more likely to be considering outdoor repairs and renovations. Fraudsters may target seniors, people living alone, or homeowners whose properties appear to need visible repairs. Once money is paid, the contractor may disappear, perform only minimal work, or leave behind damage that requires another professional to fix.

Service-related fraud remains a significant issue across Canada. Door-to-door repair schemes can be especially difficult for victims because the loss is not always limited to the upfront payment. Homeowners may also face the additional cost of repairing unfinished or defective work.

Ontario consumers generally have certain cancellation rights for some door-to-door contracts, including a cooling-off period in specific circumstances. However, practical recovery can be difficult when a business disappears, uses unreliable contact information, or cannot be located after receiving payment.

Consumers can reduce their risk by avoiding rushed decisions, refusing to pay large amounts upfront, checking whether a business is properly registered, asking for references, reviewing written contracts carefully, and using payment methods that provide a record. Homeowners should also be cautious of contractors who appear unexpectedly, offer a deal that seems unusually low, or insist that payment must be made immediately.

Aprile has since arranged for another contractor to assess and repair the damage left behind.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.