A Florida mom’s driveway was ripped out as part of scam after she put her home up for sale, leaving her with a $10,000 bill to replace it – just weeks before she hoped to move.
Amanda Brochu said shortly after she listed her home on Bethesda Street in Apopka, Florida, for sale in December, people started showing up on her $289,000 property and trying to measure her concrete driveway.
The single mother confronted one contractor who told her a man named Andre contacted him about a driveway replacement quote at Brochu’s address, but backed out after the contractor asked for payment and proof of ownership.
However, just as she was preparing to head out of town for the holidays, Brochu got a doorbell camera notification that crews were outside of her house tearing up the concrete, according to her GoFundMe page.
‘I come home and my driveway is gone,’ Brochu said to WFTV.
Brochu appeared to have fallen to victim to a scam where bad actors get contractors to work on homes – then leave the homeowner to front the bill.
Amanda Brochu (pictured) said her driveway was ripped out by scammers and she was like a $10,000 bill to replace it
Shortly after Brochu listed her for home for sale in December people started showing up on her property trying to measure her driveway, the one day it was gone
Brochu confronted a contractor who told her a man named Andre requested a driveway replacement quote for her house, which prompted her to contact the police
The woman’s driveway was therefore ripped out by contractors who had been called up by a scammer – possibly the so-called Andre she learned of.
‘No one’s going to buy this. This brings down the property now. And that just messes it up for me and my family,’ said Brochu.
The contractor Brochu confronted showed her text messages that said Andre have received a quote for $7,200 to replace the driveway and had agreed to it, but said he couldn’t drop off the deposit.
After learning this information, the single mother contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, who then tried to contact Andre.
Brochu said at first this person denied it and hung up on the cops, then later told them it was a mistake and sent them the number of a supposed contactor – which was actually the phone number of the Orlando airport.
‘They said that he said it was a mistake. He just got the address wrong, nothing else will happen again,’ she said.
Shortly after, her driveway was taken and she was left with a giant dirt track.
The mom said she contacted a company that gave her a $10,000 quote to replace it – money she said she does not have after the other improvements she made and the cost of her new home.
The man told police it was a mistake, then shortly after Brochu got a doorbell camera notification that crews were tearing up her driveway (pictured)
Before and after photos show the driveway and dirt left behind at 438 Bethesda Street in Apopka, Florida
Brochu said: ‘I just want to find the person who did this because it’s wrong that they targeted me and my family for this.’
After learning about what happened to Brochu from a local news report, a Cox Media Group radio sponsor offered to replace the driveway for free and Brochu plans to donate all the funds raised from her GoFundMe.
Brochu’s real estate agent, Rocki Sanchez, said she was shocked to see what happened and posted in a Facebook group about and learned it could be part of a scam.
‘I was in unbelievable, like, utter shock. I’ve never seen this before. I’ve never had this happen to myself or anyone in our office,’ said Sanchez.
The four bedroom, two bathroom house is currently listed on Zillow for $289,990 and says a new driveway will be installed before closing.