Complaints Mounting Against Roofing Co.

They take the money and run. That's how some people say a roofing company operates here in Chicago.

In tonight's FOX Chicago investigation, Lauren Cohn unveils complaints that have been filed across country.

Consumer Barbara Wilke said, "it’s horrible."

What happened to a Glenn Ellyn home certainly is horrible but what happened next is even worse.

According to Wilke, “They took our money and didn't do the work and just let us sit dry."

Wilke and her husband Ken are out about $11,000 because they trusted a company called Fidelity Reconstruction.

The day after a tree fell on their home in june, Ken wilke said, "He walked right up to me raking, and said he could be the general contractor and take care of everything."

The Wilkes trusted the man because he lived in the neighborhood.

They signed a contract, wrote a check for $1,000 dollars, the amount of their insurance deductible, then later signed over a second check for just over $10,000 when they got the money from their insurance company.

Ken Wilke said, “He kept saying scope wasn't right, change scope, insurance adjustor didn’t include everything. They kept postponing, postponing."

While the Wilkes waited and waited, over in Carol Stream, Frank Lake was going through a similar ordeal.

Consumer Frank Lake said, "It’s the first time I ever got burned."

Lake's roof started leaking after a hail storm in August. He said Fidelity Reconstruction contacted him by phone right away. After he checked the company out, he signed a contract with the same rep that signed a contract with the Wilkes, eventually handing over about $4,000 he got from the insurance company, only to never see anybody from Fidelity again.

Lake said, “They didn’t do anything. I made atleast 15 phone calls."

Since then, Lake and the Wilkes have filed complaints with local law enforcement and the Better Business Bureau.

Steve Bernas of the BBB said, '"Since July 31, we received 14 complaints."

Bernas said he's seen this type of operation before.

The BBB gives Fidelity Reconstruction an F -- its lowest rating.

"They take money from consumers, pay someone else off, start work, then run away," Bernas said.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department along with the Dupage County Sheriffs Department, the Illinois Attorney General, and the Cook County States Attorney have all launched their own investigations into Fidelity Reconstruction.

They're even working with authorities in Houston,where nearly a dozen complaints have been filed against a branch of Fidelity reconstruction in Texas.

When we visited Fidelity Reconstruction's corporate office in Schaumberg, we discovered the employees were gone. The lease manager tells us by late summer, he started receiving calls from Fidelity customers complaining they were ripped off.

Dan Callen of Intelligent Office said, "It got to the point where we said enough is enough and we shut them down."

Surveillance video ontained by FOX Chicago shows what happened the day Fidelity Reconstruction was evicted.

According to the lease manager, the employees came back afterhours to collect their equiptment and records. They only left after security called Schaumburg police.

We tried to find those employees, but they were not at home and they did not respond to our messages.

We did finally contact Fidelity Reconstruction's former Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Shel St. Clair, by phone.

St. Clair said, "I would like to help the homeowners, but I do not have access to our files, or scopes...No one is trying to screw anybody... What happened to Fidelty Reconstruction is it suffered a huge economic loss."

FOX Chicago has learned the company St. Clair is now working for, Integrity Claims Consulting, based in Northbrook, has been sent letters from the Cook County States Attorneys Office to cease and desist operations for acting as an insurance adjustor without a license and failing to notify consumers of their rights to cancel a contract.

Integrity representatives did not return our request for comment.

As for Fidelity Reconstruction, three months later, Frank Lake still has a leaking roof and said, “They're nothing but a bunch of thieves. When I don’t have a penny in my pocket, I’m retired, yes it bothers me."

Four months later, the Wilkes finally paid to have their tree removed, but repairing their trust will take much longer than it takes to repair their roof.

Barbara Wilke said, "These are hard times, and everyone needs to be careful not taken advantage of."

Authorities believe Fidelity Reconstruction is still operating in Kansas, as advertised on its website.

The BBB urges people to stay away from solicitors -- in this case what they call storm chasers, people who come to their door or call on the phone.

Instead, if you need repairs, access the BBB'S website to see if a company is accredited and has good standing.