Collection of Prefabricated House Scam Cases
Prefabricated house scam cases mainly include disputes over the construction of cement 'prefabricated houses', scams involving low-priced 'work-offset houses', and price trap disputes in the construction of heavy-steel villas, among others.
Dispute over the Construction of Cement 'Prefabricated Houses': In August 2023, a construction company signed an agreement with Mr. Zhang for the construction of four cement prefabricated panel houses and their assembly, with a fee of 40,000 yuan. After installation in September, Mr. Zhang paid 35,000 yuan, leaving 5,000 yuan unpaid. After the construction company's repeated demands for payment proved unsuccessful, it filed a lawsuit. Mr. Zhang claimed that the house had quality issues such as leaks, cracks, and inconsistent door sizes inside, and believed that the 5,000 yuan was a discount. After mediation by the judge, both parties reached an agreement, with Mr. Zhang paying 2,000 yuan in construction fees on the spot and taking responsibility for subsequent repairs himself. In this case, the construction company may have had construction quality issues, while Mr. Zhang also failed to pay the full amount as agreed, leading to a dispute during contract performance.
Scam Involving Low-Priced 'Work-Offset Houses': A retired elderly person was introduced by an acquaintance to buy a low-priced 'work-offset house'. After viewing the house and paying a deposit on-site, the other party switched to a private account for payment and issued a purchase contract stamped with the seal of a construction enterprise. The elderly person transferred a total of over 3 million yuan, but the handover of the house was repeatedly delayed. After finding the developer for verification, the elderly person learned that the remaining payment had not flowed into the developer's account. After filing multiple civil lawsuits, only a small amount of the deposit was recovered, and an unrelated construction enterprise was mistakenly sued. Later, under the supervision of the procuratorate, the mastermind behind the scam was uncovered, and the victim's losses were fully recovered. In this case, the scammer defrauded the house payment by forging purchase contracts and impersonating the developer's financial personnel, taking advantage of the homebuyer's desire for low-priced housing and unfamiliarity with the purchase process.
Price Trap Dispute in the Construction of Heavy-Steel Villas: On July 16, 2023, Mr. Ye signed a contract with a new material company in Jiangsu, agreeing on an estimated building area of 260.00 square meters for the villa and an estimated total construction cost of 350,000.00 yuan. After the villa's frame structure was assembled and shaped, the company informed Mr. Ye that the actual total area was 371.64 square meters and the actual total cost was 521,773.00 yuan, demanding payment of 70% of the progress payment based on this total cost. Mr. Ye did not agree, leading to a dispute, and the company stopped construction in September 2023. Later, the court ruled that the company had committed a fundamental breach of contract and ordered the contract to be terminated. It also ordered the company to refund the prepaid construction funds to Mr. Ye, pay fund occupation fees, and restore the land to its original condition. In this case, the company unilaterally changed the contract content and increased the construction price during contract performance, constituting a breach of contract.
