How to avoid scams targeting your home

News Corp AustraliaFirst published 10 Nov 2026, 9:02amA contractor promised homeowners he could transform their properties with extensive renovations. Instead, many say they were left with unfinished work, empty bank accounts and little to show for the tens of thousands of dollars they had handed over. Now, Ryan David Pietron, and his company, Affordable Home Remodeling, LLC., have been permanently banned from one US state’s residential construction industry and ordered to pay more than $1 million (AUD $1.44 million) after a state investigation found they had defrauded dozens of homeowners out of a combined $518,000 (AUD $747,000), according to the Minnesota Attorney-General’s Office. “Pietron would perform token demolition work, or none at all, before disappearing with his customers’ money,” the AG’s office said in a statement. Home renovation scams are targeting vulnerable homeowners. Picture: Supplied On November 5, Minnesota Attorney-General Keith Ellison announced a judgment against Pietron and the company, requiring them to pay $518,000 (AUD $747,000) in restitution to victims, another $518,000 (AUD $747,000) in civil penalties to the state and $33,000 (AUD $47,000) to cover ...