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Roofing News

Questionable Ethics

Surveillance Camera Nabs Contractor Appearing to Intentionally Damage Home in Possible Scam

An analog crime in a digital world: "It's just so brazen"

By Bryan Gottlieb
Colorado Hail Scam - TOF.jpg

Home surveillance video seems to show contractor David Kuntz, sales manager for Timberland Exteriors of Colorado, using some type of tool to make dents in the panels of a homeowner's garage door while inspecting for hail damage.

— Image and Video courtesy of CBS News Colorado, Channel 4



September 12, 2023

The shock of seeing what, by all accounts, appears to be vandalism caught on a home camera is secondary only to the subscribed motive of the perpetrator: making small dents in a garage door during a home inspection looking for hail damage. 

The footage, captured on a home surveillance camera at the end of August, appeared on September 10 during a KNCN investigative report on the purported scam. The contractor, David Kuntz, sales manager for Timberland Exteriors of Colorado, is seen marking gutters, downspouts, and a garage with chalk so an insurance adjuster would know where the hail damage was.

But when Kuntz looked at the home's aluminum garage door, he appeared to repeatedly use some sort of tool or implement to create dents on the garage door. He then circles those dents with chalk, suggesting they were caused by hail.

A reporter for the CBS affiliate in Denver confronted the Kuntz in an interview where the contractor acknowledged he was unaware of any surveillance footage and said he may have been "too aggressive," recognizing what was caught on tape "…just looks kind of bad."

When CBS News Colorado met with Kuntz to show him the videotape, he said it was "hard to say" if it was him initially on the tape. "Could be, I don't know," said Kuntz. But after a few minutes, he acknowledged it was him.

"That doesn't look right," said Kuntz. "I don't know what I was doing there. It doesn't look awesome."

He went further, seemingly admitting, "…looks like I was pushing in… shouldn't have been doing that." 

In a quick pivot, CBS said he shifted gears, saying he was “…trying to be Robin Hood all the time. I'm trying to get [homeowners] money. There I am trying to help these dumb M-Fers, and it obviously backfired. In that situation, I was probably trying too hard to help them out. Maybe I get too aggressive," he said. "Pushing too hard to make it look right so they could get their money. Bottom line," said Kuntz. "Is most of these customers can't afford Colorado anymore. This extra stuff helps them pay their deductible because they're ripped off in their policies."

After seeing the video of what Kuntz had done, the homeowners decided not to pursue an insurance claim for hail damage on their home.

In a second interview, shown here, Kuntz said, "…it was unprofessional," but denied intentionally creating damage. "So I'm pushing in trying to feel for the hail dents, trying to see if it's insulated or not." Asked if he used a tool on the garage door, Kuntz said he did not, claiming he only used his thumb. 

However, you can believe your lying eyes: the surveillance videotape shows him pulling a metallic tool out of his bag and repeatedly using it on the garage door.

Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, an industry trade group, watched the video and told CBS News Colorado, "It's obvious he's creating damage that wasn't there to profit from it. It's just so blatant and brazen of an act."

And she called Kuntz out on his hollow claim of acting like Robin Hood by exaggerating the damage patently false and worse. 

"He's not helping anyone. He's helping himself to more profits,” said Walker. “…We all pay for that through higher insurance premiums." She went on to say that, based on what she saw on the video, it suggested to her, "…this isn't his first rodeo doing this." 

Kuntz told CBS News Colorado he could not recall if he had ever done anything like this before.

Timberland Exteriors of Colorado, which has Brent Blankenburg listed as the company owner, enjoys an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and perusing through the company’s online reviews generally revealed satisfied customers. 

Blankenburg did not respond to calls and text messages from CBS News Colorado. Roofing Contractor magazine has been unable to independently verify the assertions or make contact with Blankenburg.

Colorado Hail Storm Chart.jpg

The insurance industry says in the last 10 years, hailstorms have caused $5 billion in damage in Colorado; in a recent three-year period, questionable hail claims nationwide rose 34%.

Walker said there was no shortage of legitimate hail claims in Colorado this summer, but “…legitimate hail damage is what Mother Nature created, not what that gentleman created," she added.



KEYWORDS: Colorado hail damage insurance

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Bryan Gottlieb is the Managing Editor of Roofing Contractor. He previously worked for the Detroit Metro Times, the San Diego Daily Transcript and Adweek magazine. His beats include insurance markets, regulatory and legislative affairs, private equity, mergers and acquisitions and news analysis.

Reach him at gottliebb@bnpmedia.com | Follow Bryan on LinkedIn

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