Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody doesn’t tolerate scams. On her website, she features “Scams at a Glance,” where she details the intricacies of how some scams are pulled off.

In her “Scams at a Glance: Sink or Swim” segment, she warns unsuspecting consumers of some of the ways bad-actor pool contractors succeed in leaving their customers high and dry.

There’s the “Deep Discount Scam,” where pool contractors make an offer that’s too good to be true. There’s the “Bait and Switch Scam,” where the contractor demands more money after the contract is signed. There’s the “Licensing and Insurance Scam,” where a contractor pretends to have both, sometimes using someone else’s license number. And there’s the “Deposit Scam,” where a contractor requires a large upfront deposit to secure the job.

Since Moody took office in 2019, she has prosecuted dozens of different kinds of scammers; many of them have been bad-actor pool contractors.

Now, she is taking legal action against a Gulf Coast pool company and its owner for taking large upfront payments from consumers and leaving jobs incomplete.

According to a press release from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Cox Pools of the Gulf Coast, LLC, and its owner, Hillary Bello, accepted payments from at least 27 consumers in exchange for pool construction services, then failed to perform the services as promised – leaving consumers with unfinished pools and holes in backyards. The investigation further revealed that the company also refused to issue refunds for consumers with abandoned work.

“Cox Pools and its owner ripped off more than 25 Florida consumers, taking more than $1.5 million and

never finishing the agreed upon jobs," Moody said. “The consumers were left with dangerous holes in their backyards and severe financial losses. This is unacceptable, and we are taking action to permanently ban this owner from operating a pool business.”

The complaint, which was filed on October 16 in the circuit court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, Florida – Civil Division, states that Cox Pools misrepresented the timeline for pools to be built, causing consumers to wait longer than a year for unfinished pools.

Additionally, Cox Pools refused to issue refunds to consumers for the work not performed. Attorney General Moody’s Consumer Protection Division received complaints spanning three years from at least 27 consumers about the defendants’ business practices, collectively alleging more than $1.5 million spent on untimely and incomplete pool projects. Most consumers paid approximately 95 percent of the agreed price.

According to the complaint, some consumers were so desperate to complete their pool project that they contacted subcontractors that were supposedly hired by Cox Pools to work on the pool and the subcontractors would refuse to do the work because Cox had failed to pay them past balances due and owing.

Similarly, some consumers reported that subcontractors placed liens on their properties because the Cox Pools failed to pay the subcontractors, even though consumers had paid the defendants for such work The civil action seeks to permanently ban the defendants from engaging in activities related to the pool construction business. The action also aims to get a monetary judgment against the company and its owner. In addition, the defendants could be liable for more than $250,000 in civil penalties and enhanced civil penalties for violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Cox Pools customers can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's Office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting www. MyFloridalegal.com.