A couple saved for years to fund improvements to their home – only to lose £14,000, in a sophisticated fraud involving a scam building company, a fake show home, and an ‘architect’ who didn’t know how to use a tape measure.
When Theresa Sunich and husband Graham, from Croydon, Surrey, wanted a kitchen extension for their three-bedroom semi, they asked several building firms for quotes, eventually settling on a seemingly impressive company called Contemporary Home Improvements (CHI).
But the business was set up by two conmen with no intention of ever carrying out any building work, and soon after taking the couple’s cash for a deposit, it was declared bankrupt.
At least 60 other victims across the Home Counties were also targeted, netting the criminals an estimated £800,000. Four people involved in the scam have now been sentenced.
Office worker Theresa said: ‘It took us a long time to save up for our extension. In 2017, we were finally ready to start work. We got several builders’ quotes, before finding CHI online.
Theresa Sunich, 50, from Surrey, and her husband Graham, saved up for many years so they could build an extension – only to get conned out of £14,000
As part of the elaborate scam, potential customers were shown a fake show kitchen, in a bid to attract them to Contemporary Home Improvements
Scott Baker (left) was sentenced to four years in jail for his role in the ruse. David Gogo, a student who pretended to be a fully qualified…
