MINNEAPOLIS — As a recent retiree with a long list of home repairs on his summer to-do list, Thomas Ruffenach understands why some might see him as a prime target for home repair scams.
"My home does look a little run down, I will admit," Ruffenach said.
Still, he never expected the series of events that have unfolded in the last three weeks, particularly the latest confrontation that unfolded on his front porch.
"In retrospect, when I look at the video I think, 'Yeah, you could have gotten popped there,'" Ruffenach said.
He's referencing a cell phone video that he shot on Thursday morning. It begins with a man telling him he is doing work on a home nearby, but suddenly escalates into an expletive-filled confrontation when Ruffenach asks to see where he's working.
ABOVE: Thomas Ruffenach shot video with his cell phone of a conversation with a possible scammer that escalated into an expletive-filled confrontation.
"As soon as I saw the young man at my front door, I took my phone and I turned it on and I stuck it in my front shirt pocket," Ruffenach said. "I was kind of primed. This was the third time that a construction crew with Irish accents offered to do cut-rate repairs on my home."
Ruffenach is one of several Twin Cities homeowners who had previously contacted KARE11, and local authorities, after being approached by men with Irish-sounding accents, while representing themselves as employees of legitimate local businesses.
"Three weeks ago, two men told me they could help me with my siding. I ended up telling them no," Ruffenach said. "Then, last week, a gentleman named 'Jonathan' approached me. He had a business card and he talked to me about how he had flown a drone over my house and that there was a hole in my roof."
Ruffenach says he had just inspected his roof for hail damage and knew that there was no hole, so he says he told 'Jonathan' that he wasn't interested.
The next day, he received photos of someone else's cracked chimney and a hole in a roof that wasn't his.
"I texted back saying, it's not my home," Ruffenach said.
The business card he had received said that "Jonathan" worked for Advantage Construction, a reputable local business, so he also decided to look up the company and call it directly.
The owners quickly told him that 'Jonathan' wasn't an employee, but one day later they learned that he had used a similar story, and business card, to gain access to a homeowner's roof in Minnetonka.
As KARE 11 reported on Wednesday, the 88-year-old homeowner would later discover thousands of dollars in damage to her chimney, but thanks to some quick thinking, she was able to arrange a sting operation with Minnetonka Police that led to the arrest of two adults.
"It was the same business card and I believe it's the same 'Jonathan'. It's the exact same story."
Ruffenach still can't understand how, or why, he was approached in such a similar way just a day after the Minnetonka arrest, but he says it shows how vigilant everyone should be right now.
"I'm a senior citizen and I just think it's the low price," he said, referencing quotes he received for work each time he was approached. "They suck you in with the low price, and so if you're on a fixed income, like I am, they prey on that."
In addition to calling 911 and filing a report with Minneapolis Police about his most recent confrontation, Thomas says he's also been in touch with detectives in Minnetonka about the issue with "Jonathan" last week.
The two adults arrested in that sting remain in federal custody, after they allegedly violated the terms of their admission to the U.S., from the UK.