A Calgary couple paid $8,000 upfront for a front hall renovation that was never started, according to Calgary police, who say the contractor they knew as “Ralph” was actually Omar Ghandour. Ghandour was arrested on Sept. 30 and charged with fraud over $5,000. His court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 29.

Homeowner Crystal Arnold lives in Deer Ridge, in southeast Calgary. She said she and her husband had wanted to renovate their front hall for years, but had put the project off for a decade. They decided to proceed this past spring after finding a contractor through a website connecting homeowners with contractors and renovation experts.

Arnold said the contractor, who introduced himself as Ralph, appeared knowledgeable and quoted $16,000 for the work, a price within the couple’s budget. They paid him a $3,000 deposit. She said her concerns began when he asked for another $5,000 to order supplies.

Arnold said she pressed him for a date to begin the work, after which he began withdrawing from the job and accused her of being difficult. “He said he was gonna come, and then he no-showed on that day, and then he didn’t respond to text messages,” she said. She also said that when the couple asked where the supplies would come from, he first gave them a fake store name and later named another store.

The couple eventually learned that no supplies had been ordered and that the contractor was not named Ralph. Calgary police identified him as Ghandour. Officers investigated for several months after determining Arnold “had paid a total of $8,000 upfront to a contractor she hired online.”

Police said Arnold and the contractor “reportedly agreed to not proceed with the work, and the woman requested her money back but did not receive the full amount of the funds despite repeated efforts to communicate with the contractor.” Arnold said the loss remains a reminder when she uses the stairs in her home. “We remember we got ripped off, and we didn’t get everything done that we wanted to get done,” she said.

Alberta’s Consumer Investigations Unit issued a consumer protection alert about Ghandour in 2021. In a statement, the Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction ministry said: “No one deserves to get ripped off. Albertans should always be vigilant when hiring a contractor, and our Consumer Alerts page is an important resource to help people protect themselves. Consumer alerts are issued for a reason, and Albertans should take them seriously.”

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported that, as of June 30, nearly 10,000 people in Canada had fallen victim to fraud, with losses exceeding $350 million. Calgary police urge people who have suffered a financial loss or had personal information compromised through fraud to report it to the Calgary Police Service or Crime Stoppers. People who receive a fraudulent text, email or phone call without losing money are asked to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Based on reporting by Global News Edmonton.