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Maid-for-hire cleans out wallets, leaves customers with a mess

1 year 10 months 2 weeks ago Tuesday, May 10 2022 May 10, 2022 May 10, 2022 8:39 PM May 10, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

DENHAM SPRINGS - A handful of people have contacted 2 On Your Side about a scam that has targeted neighborhoods in Livingston and East Baton Rouge Parishes. They say a woman has been going door-to-door selling cleaning services.

Their stories all have similarities, and now they're sharing their experiences to warn others.

Stacey McAllister and Meagan Dale both live in Lakes of North Park in Denham Springs. They say a woman knocked on their door last fall offering her cleaning services and was selling packages to clean homes once or multiple times a month.

After paying for those services, they found that what was sold wasn't what they got.

"I don't know if it started out as a scam or not but it definitely got there," McAllister said.

At first, McAllister said she was happy with the cleaning Brooke Sanders did at her home, but it didn't last. McAllister said Sanders started giving excuses about why she couldn't make it to the job.

"Meeting her kids, broke her ankle," she said. "Then she stopped answering my calls and texts."

McAllister paid almost $400 for services that weren't completed.

Dale says she paid Sanders to clean her house twice after she learned that she was having a hard time and in need of clients. She did not pay for a cleaning package.

"I wasn't comfortable with that, but I went ahead and paid her for one more visit, and on that visit, she just came and threw everything in trash bags and left," Dale said. "I didn't hear from her again except for her to ask for more money before she had cleaned."

Dale says she paid her $275.

Word about her work—or lack thereof—quickly spread. It had been Facebook chatter for nearly a year. McAllister first posted something in her neighborhood group.

"When I saw how many people were responding, I realized it was a bigger deal than I thought," she said.

People were chiming in about Sanders' cleaning business, which has changed names several times.

"'Walk by Faith Cleaning,' that's the name she used in our neighborhood," Dale said. "Come to find out she had five other business names she used in other neighborhoods."

Other business names include JB's Cleaning, B&K Cleaning Co., and Absolute Home and Maintenance. Each time the business name changed, so did the email address and the phone number.

People paid Sanders through Venmo and CashApp, and the money quickly added up. Sanders also sometimes goes by Brooke Shifflett.

Both McAllister and Dale were interested in learning how she charged everyone different amounts.

"She asked every single one of us for money in advance," said Dale.

A woman living in the Central neighborhood North Woods says she hired Sanders for $450. She says she came to clean once, and after that, made up excuses and didn't return.

Another person living in Oak Hills of Denham Springs says she paid Sanders for six months of cleaning upfront for bi-monthly cleanings. After coming to clean twice, she didn't return. That same person says she felt bad for her and gave her hundreds of dollars worth of toys for her kids for Christmas.

Last week, 2 On Your Side reached out to Sanders by phone. When asked if she was still offering cleaning services, she said no.

Brittany Weiss asked her why she was no longer cleaning and the phone disconnected.

Several people have filed police reports. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office says it's investigating.

 

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