Nextdoor's platform struggles with scammer problem

Free private social network for neighborhood communities, Nextdoor, is usually used for people to complain about the little annoyances like trash being put out before Garbage Day, or someone's dog barking too much. Recent sources, however, have shown that it's also a breeding ground for low-level crime, as well.

Nextdoor is a platform for neighbors to chitchat about everything from lost keys found at the local park to a sassy Bengal cat terrorizing the cul-de-sac’s pets. But it’s also a hotbed for scammers, like a “contractor” who disappeared after the deposit was paid, an imposter who hired teenage assistants and botched a remodeling project, and a woman who stole a real nanny’s identity to dupe multiple families.

"There’s a false sense of security on Nextdoor that, because these are people in your immediate community, they must be trustworthy. Because of that, people may be less likely to use due diligence in researching contractors and caregivers,” said Brandy Bauer, an associate director at the National Council on Aging.

In Westminster, Colorado, 72-year-old Pam Ruffin was looking to repair her fence and contacted a company named Eagle Eye Fence, which multiple users on Nextdoor recommended, according to a report by ABC 7. Two contractors visited Ruffin and offered to fix her fence in exchange for a check for $11,800 to pay for supplies. She never saw them again.

A family in Texas also looked to Nextdoor for a contractor, only to have the remodel of their kitchen backsplash botched when he hired four inexperienced teenagers for the job, reported KBTX. After the station contacted the contractor — who never returned to the house to check the work after realizing the wrong type of grout was used — he refunded the family.

A Better Business Bureau study in 2018 found that people were more susceptible to losing money due to a home improvement scam compared to other types of scams, and especially if they were between the ages of 35 and 54. A search for the keyword “Nextdoor” on the BBB’s scam tracker shows that five households have reported a total of $16,600 lost to home improvement cons since 2016.

According to Bauer, this type of scam isn’t unique to Nextdoor: “The scammers [on Nextdoor] are simply using a 21st-century version of an old, effective tactic.” Bauer explained that fraudsters are known to drive around neighborhoods looking for properties in need of repairs and offer homeowners affordable quotes for proposed work, then ask for payment up front. The “contractors” would perform a minimal, shoddy job, or none at all. “We know older adults in particular were raised to be neighborly and trusting,” she explained.

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