Every year, Canadians deal with irresponsible contractors or those who purposefully defraud others out of money. A spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said as of November, it received more than 150 complaints about general contractors across Canada.

The organization also tracks home improvement scams — a type of scam the BBB consistently ranks as one of the riskiest scams for Canadians. As of November, the BBB received more than 140 reports of such scams. Nearly 82 per cent reported losing money.