Woman has her driveway stolen from her Florida home as part of Nigerian scam

Woman has her driveway stolen from her Florida home as part of Nigerian scam A contractor was hired by the scammer to redo the home’s driveway, but the company stopped working when the check provided to pay for the upgrades bounced - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A Florida woman had her driveway ripped up and taken away as part of an alleged scam carried out by someone in Nigeria, according to a report. Luz Lenzi returned to her home in Sanford, about 30 miles north of Orlando, in February to find a mountain of rubble where her driveway once was. “I didn’t hire them, I didn’t need to have my driveway redone,” Lenzi told News 6. Police say someone claiming to be from a real estate company hired a contractor to update the driveway. However, the contractor abruptly stopped working on the driveway when a $15,000 check provided to pay for the job bounced. The check was written by New Mexico-listed company “SOIL Realty LLC,” which investigators later tracked back to Nigeria. Authorities said the contractor did not meet with the client and did not file a permit to do the work on the driveway. However, police uncovered the true origin of the scam by tracing bank transactions and Google records tied to an email address used in the deal, leading them to internet addresses in Nigeria. “I said, Nigeria, like in Africa? And he said, yes,” Lenzi recalled. “I said, how? I was shocked.” It was not immediately clear how the alleged scammer would have benefited from the deal. However, investigators believe they may have been trying to shake down the contractor for money. They also believe Lenzi’s home may have been selected because it is on the market. “I was a loser in the whole thing,” Lenzi said. At first, the contractor refused to fix the driveway, saying that the company was also a victim. However, they eventually reimbursed Lenzi for her repairs, she said. The contractor declined to comment to News 6. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments