Jun 16, 2026
Heidi Aprile of Pickering, Ontario, had a special connection to the paving stones in her front yard: they were put in place by her late husband. So, when a contractor came to her door offering to pull up the interlocking stones, pressure-wash her driveway and seal it all up to make it look new again, Aprile agreed. But she didn’t know she was agreeing to an insidious door-to-door scam.
Aprile told CTV News that a man came to her door mid-April offering to fix the stonework in her yard. She agreed, signed a contract with the company Compact Masonry and Roofing, and the team came back the following day. They started pulling up the old stonework, but told Aprile they needed $3,000 — she obliged.
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But once they had the cash in hand, they left her property after only a couple hours — never to be seen again.
“The last time I heard from them was when I gave them the money,” Aprile told the news outlet. “I will never, ever do anything like that again, paying anyone like that ahead of time, especially if they are going door to door.”
CTV News called and emailed Compact Masonry and Roofing multiple times without a response. They even travelled to the address listed in their brochure and Aprile’s contract, but the business was not seen there.
While Aprile will have to pay more to have another contractor fix the damage done by the alleged scammers, she told CTV she’s hired someone she can trust.
“I found somebody who is going to come later today to give me an estimate and see what he can do for me, and he is going to fix it all up,” she said.
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Better weather means better conditions for door-to-door scams
As warmer weather starts to roll in, the conditions for summer holidays, outdoor activities and, unfortunately, doorstep scams, improve.
Door-to-door scams, which are a subset of service fraud, are usually characterized by a business offering services at a reduced rate or with high-pressure tactics. They typically involve aggressive pitches to push customers into a decision quickly, or use the allure of a reduced price to turn off their victim’s critical thinking. But the lynchpin of the scam is to get all or a substantial portion of funds upfront — and then never do the work or do such a poor job the consumer is left to pick up the pieces.
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And service scams are not a small portion of fraud across Canada, they’re actually the third-most reported fraud type across the nation according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s 2025 Annual Statistics Report. There were 3,393 reports and 2,444 victims who lost a combined $19.5 million — an average of $7,978 per victim.
It’s important to note that the actual number of victims and total losses are likely far higher than these figures suggest, since only 5% to 10% of all fraud is reported.
Money lost is painful to be sure, but what makes fraud emotionally destructive is the difficulty in finding recourse. However, consumers caught in a door-to-door scam may not have a lot of options. For instance, Ontario law gives consumers a cooling-off period of 10 days to cancel a contract they made and get their money back. Consumers can also cancel a contract if the company they purchased a product or service from engaged in unfair business practices.
But, if a business disappears after taking your money, the chances you can get it back lawfully are nil.
And, the same applies to taking civil action. Although signing a contract means you may be able to find recourse through the courts, finding the funds from a business that disappears overnight is another matter entirely — regardless of if you win in court.
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That said, if a purchase was made on a credit card, you may have the option of cancelling an unauthorized transaction if you never formally approved the contract.
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The best defence starts before the doorbell rings
Service fraud can be one of the hardest to deal with in person, given its high-pressure tactics and face-to-face communication. The best way to protect yourself is to know how to recognize red flags during an interaction and be able to act quickly. Here are the most common to watch for.
High-pressure tactics
Door-to-door scams thrive on using high-pressure strategies such as completing the work same day or offering a one-time discount to push consumers into a sale. A legitimate salesperson will never coerce you into making a purchase with such tactics.
Know what to watch for in a contract
Contracts can be extremely complex, so it’s not expected that all consumers will be able to understand every nuance. But you should check for certain provisions to make sure you understand a contractor’s responsibilities. Any contract you enter into with a service provider should generally outline the following:
- The information of the contractor
- The description of the services offered
- The total cost
- How the cost will be paid (e.g. in instalments or an upfront payment)
- The consumer’s rights to cancel the contract
- The restrictions, terms or conditions that apply to the services being done
- Be wary about giving the full payment amount upfront to any service provider. It’s more common for contractors to ask for 10% or 20% down, rarely the full amount. That should set off alarm bells.
Watching for these markers is important but it’s also necessary to research any company that approaches your door after their pitch. Consult the Better Business Bureau to see if any issues have come up with prior jobs. Check if the business has a website, a large amount of positive reviews from previous customers and if it has a legitimate online presence. Make sure to ask your community for feedback as well — online reviews can be manipulated. Finally, ask any prospective contractor if they carry liability insurance to cover any damages they cause.
And remember: if a salesperson is offering you something that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your gut and don’t sign on the dotted line.
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Brett Surbey is a corporate paralegal with KMSC Law LLP and freelance writer who has written for Yahoo Finance Canada, Success Magazine, Publishers Weekly, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor and multiple academic journals. He and his family live in northern Alberta, Canada.
