When Sanford homeowner Luz Lenzi pulled up to her house in February, there was no driveway to pull into. Her concrete drive had been torn out and replaced with a big mound of dirt. Sanford police now say the ripped-up driveway was not a simple contractor dispute but part of an alleged fraud scheme traced to internet addresses in Nigeria, and that Lenzi was never meant to be the customer in the first place.
How police say the scheme worked
According to Sanford police, someone posing as a representative of a real estate company hired a local crew to replace a driveway and handed over a $15,000 check for the job. The contractor started work, but the check later bounced, and the crew walked off the site. Investigators say records show the check was drawn on an account for “SOIL Realty LLC,” listed in New Mexico, and that the contractor never met the supposed client in person or pulled permits for the project.
Police subpoenaed bank records and requested Google account information linked to an email address used in the deal. Digital traces from that account led investigators to internet addresses in Nigeria, according to WKMG News 6.
Homeowner says she never hired anyone
Lenzi told reporters she was blindsided by the whole thing.
"I didn't hire them. I didn't need to have my driveway redone," she told News 6, describing a "mountain" of dirt left in front of her house after the crew left. She said the contractor at first refused to repair the damage, saying it was also a victim of the scam, but the company has since reimbursed her for the cost of fixing the driveway, according to an earlier report from News 6, which detailed her initial discovery.
Why investigators think this isn't random
The pattern of a fake client, a large check that later bounces, and communication handled through a remote email account fits what law enforcement agencies describe as advance-fee and impostor scams that cross borders. The FBI has long warned that Nigerian letter style and other advance-fee schemes commonly use layers of bank accounts and digital identities to conceal who is behind them and to make it harder to get victims’ money back. That is part of why detectives in Sanford say they went after bank and online account records. For broader context on these kinds of schemes, see guidance from the FBI.
How homeowners and contractors can protect themselves
Consumer-protection agencies recommend some basic guardrails for projects like this: verify a contractor’s license, insist on written estimates and contracts, check references and steer clear of large upfront payments. Federal Trade Commission guidance on home-improvement scams also urges customers to get multiple bids and keep all agreements in writing, while consumer alerts from the Florida Attorney General point residents to state license lookups and complaint hotlines.
If there is any hint that a deal involves online coordination or a cross-border twist, victims can also file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov so investigators can watch for similar patterns in other cases.
Sanford police say their investigation is still active and no criminal charges have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department. For buyers, sellers, and contractors alike, officers say the saga is a fresh reminder to verify exactly who is on the other end of a deal before any concrete gets broken up.
