A Florida woman returned to her home in Sanford to discover her driveway had been ripped up and stolen as part of an alleged scam originating from Nigeria. Luz Lenzi arrived at her residence in February to find a pile of rubble where her driveway once stood.
“I didn’t hire them, I didn’t need to have my driveway redone,” Lenzi told News 6.
How the Scam Unfolded
Police report that someone claiming to represent a real estate company hired a contractor to replace the driveway. However, the contractor stopped work when a $15,000 check provided for payment bounced. The check was issued by “SOIL Realty LLC,” a company listed in New Mexico, which investigators later traced to Nigeria.
Authorities noted that the contractor never met with the client and did not obtain a permit for the work. Investigators used bank transactions and Google records linked to an email address involved in the deal to trace the scam to internet addresses in Nigeria.
“I said, Nigeria, like in Africa? And he said, yes,” Lenzi recalled. “I said, how? I was shocked.”
Target of the Scheme
Sanford police believe Lenzi was not the primary target. Investigators suspect the scheme was designed to defraud the contractor, though it remains unclear how the scammer intended to profit. Police think Lenzi’s property was chosen because it was listed for sale.
Lenzi first learned of the damage when a colleague called to tell her there was “a mountain” in front of her house and the driveway was gone. According to News 6, the contractor initially refused to pay for repairs, claiming the company had also been victimized. Later, the contractor agreed to reimburse Lenzi for fixing the driveway.
