<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A warning has been issued after almost a dozen </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/scam" rel="" target="" title="Perth"><span>Perth</span></a><span> families allegedly fell victim to a renovation scam.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police claim Allan Jason Dean Howard pocketed almost $80,000 in deposits then vanished without doing the work.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 30-year-old fronted </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="court"><span>court</span></a><span> yesterday as </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/police" rel="" target="" title="police"><span>police</span></a><span> warned others to be careful when booking renovations online.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-mushroom-poisoning-trial-verdict-update/931c6e69-9054-4bed-ab50-0af86c3e52d9"><strong><span>The mushroom murder pics you weren't allowed to see - until now</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>What was meant to be a dream renovation turned into a costly nightmare for Piero Staci.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have no savings anymore, which we would have otherwise," he told 9News.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Cooloongup father-of-two refinanced the family home, paying a tradesman a $21,000 deposit for the job. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/renovation-perth-tradie-in-court-after-alleged-renovation-scam-costs-families-thousands/cc94ad4b-c130-4ef4-a295-bf35af56aa0f" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But on the day work was meant to start, the tradie never showed up. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He basically pulled everything he could pull out to delay: 'I couldn't pick up'. 'I was busy'. 'I was sick'," Staci alleged.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police allege that tradie was Howard, trading as Allan's Plastering.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/darling-downs-zoo-queensland-update-woman-arm-injured-animal-bite/8e913db2-37d4-44d0-b0a6-2b07dd1b8318"><strong><span>New details emerge after woman loses arm in zoo mauling</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-reaction/ad8212a0-3655-4758-ad81-4f5791e9eea7" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Inside the courtroom as Patterson found guilty</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Consumer Protection says it's received 11 complaints about the same man, with claimed losses of almost $79,000. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Customers from Mindarie to Cooloongup claim they paid upfront but the work was never done.   </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Howard faced Armadale Magistrates Court yesterday charged with stealing and forging a document. He is yet to enter a plea.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The alleged victims may never get their money back but they hope their warning prevents others from being scammed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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