BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo-area contractor who admitted to taking money for home improvement projects he never completed says he was the victim of an online romance scam that drained his accounts and left him unable to pay customers back.
Charles Contrino failed to appear in small claims court on Wednesday morning, where Lancaster homeowner Doug Buszka was awarded $2,500 after suing the contractor for unfinished work. Buszka said he paid $4,000 total but could only prove $2,500 in court since $1,500 was paid in cash without receipts.
"Even though it's a family friend, supposedly, always get a receipt for everything they do," Buszka said.
I spoke to Contrino on Wednesday. He claimed his troubles began when he fell victim to an online romance scam.
"I met somebody online, supposedly a girl, we were talking for weeks and weeks, and then she said to me, 'Have you ever invested in cryptocurrency?'" Contrino said.
WATCH: Buffalo-area contractor claims he was victim of an online romance scam which led to unfinished projects
Bank records Contrino provided to WKBW show he sent tens of thousands of dollars to what he now believes was an AI-generated romance scammer.
He said this drained his accounts and left him unable to pay back customers like Buszka and Chris Papadimitriou, another homeowner who hired him for work.
"So when you took those jobs, did you have the intention of finishing them or completing them?" I asked.
"Yes, I did, I have never in 25 years that I was in business, I never, until this happened to me," Contrino said.
Contrino declined to appear on camera but showed text messages from the scammers asking for thousands of dollars. He said he reported the scam to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, but they couldn't help, according to Contrino, and the scammers later disappeared.
However, Papadimitriou remains skeptical of Contrino's explanation.
"He's got some sob story that he was scammed, sold his house, is going to make him whole, is going to do my deck for free, I don't want him on my property. I just want what I gave him back," Papadimitriou said.
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