Building scam sparks alert

Builders' groups and the Hastings District Council are warning people against a scam where a couple were tricked into paying thousands of dollars for a fake building consent.
In November, a man calling himself ``Matthew Logan' offered building work for the Hastings couple and responsibility for obtaining building consents.
He then presented them with a crude imitation of a Hastings District Council building consent, complete with council logo, issued to ``Matthew Logan'.
The man asked for a deposit of several thousand dollars, the couple paid the money and then he disappeared.
The council's environmental manager, Ian Macdonald, said a man with connections to Hawke's Bay was convicted in June 2008 of a similar scam in Christchurch using the same alias.
However, there was no evidence at this stage that it was the same man.
``Home owners need to be very careful when using a middleman to obtain consents. Many builders do the paperwork on behalf of home owners, but you still need to do your own homework on their background,' Mr Macdonald said.
The fraudster offered the couple references, proof of liability insurance and had a sound knowledge of building terminology and council process.
Mr Macdonald said the only true way of verifying if a consent had been lodged or approved was to call the council directly.
The council said the victims' lawyers had reported the incident to the council and police.
Hawke's Bay's Certified Builders president Richard Kepka said the public needed to be aware of how they can be safe when dealing with builders.
``We have cards we can present to a client and it has a registration number of it which people can check online,' he said. Certified builders operated under a similar structure to Registered Master Builders and all members were listed on www.certified.co.nz under ``locate a builder'.
``If a builder is not a member of a trade association you should ask, why not?' Mr Kepka said.
``Unfortunately in this case it seems to be an elaborate scam but engaging the services of a professional affiliated to a trade association will give consumers peace of mind.'
Consumers should not never hand over money without a written contract.
Anyone who thinks they have been involved in a similar scam should contact the council on 871 5000 or the Hastings police.