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New law
gets tough on
home repair fraud
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[AUG. 30, 2003]
SPRINGFIELD -- A new
Illinois law helps protect senior citizens and disabled individuals
from home repair fraud, according to state Sen. Larry Bomke,
R-Springfield.
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Bomke was a sponsor of Senate Bill 240,
which was signed into law Aug. 18, and was also a chief sponsor of
Illinois' original home repair fraud protections approved in 2000 to
safeguard all consumers.
"The 2000 law was a step in the right
direction toward making consumers aware of the dangers. Now, we are
taking extra steps to protect our most vulnerable citizens who,
unfortunately, are targeted by unscrupulous contractors," Bomke
said. "Senate Bill 240 increases penalties for home repair fraud
that targets senior citizens and disabled individuals."
Specifically, Senate Bill 240 enhances
Illinois' current laws to protect seniors and disabled individuals
from home repair fraud by lowering the monetary thresholds for the
crime. The 2000 law, House Bill 1177/Public Act 91-230, requires
contractors to provide all consumers with information on their
rights.
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this article]
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A brochure details consumers' rights
under the law and contains helpful tips to recognize fraudulent
contractors. Copies of the brochure "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer
Rights" are available at
http://www.senategop.state.il.us/
www/Brochures/home.pdf.
[To download the Adobe Acrobat reader,
click
here.]
Homeowners
who think they have been defrauded by a contractor or have other
questions, should contact their local state's attorney or the
Illinois attorney general's office toll-free at (800) 243-0618 or by
TTY at (877) 844-5461.
[News release]
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