During the dinner rush at Seventh Street Montara, a hole-in-the-wall diner off Highway 1 in the tiny coastal city of Montara, owner Stephanie Hare was busily cooking up orders when a man came in to check her fire protection system.
Flustered and with four tables awaiting service, Hare quickly asked if he worked for her regular guy, John Lillie from Coastside Fire Protection, of San Francisco. The man, whose name she didn't catch, told her he was under the same management, she said.
"Something struck me as weird but for some reason I still let him back here," said Hare, juggling a phone call and customer on a typically hectic afternoon at the restaurant.
As it turns out, her instincts were correct. The man is believed to be from a Southern California-based company that has allegedly been targeting small mom-and-pop eateries in the area by having the company's employees falsely represent the local fire protection contractors with which most of the restaurants have long-standing arrangements.
Hare noticed something was off when the man, wearing a shirt that said Pacific Inc., threatened to report her to a credit agency if she didn't cut him a check for $150. She asked him to call Lillie, who always billed later. Then the man admitted to working for a different fire protection company and proceeded to rip off the service tag he attached to her fire extinguisher, she said.
At that point, Hare connected the dots and realized last
Advertisement
week's incident wasn't the first time one of her businesses was hit.
In February, Gazo's Grill in Pescadero, of which she is a co-owner, received a similar visit. Another man came during odd hours and demanded a cook pay him $150 for checking the fire extinguishers.
He left tags on them indicating Pacific Fire Protection Inc., a company with listings in Tarzana, Valley Village and San Francisco.
The scammers arrive unannounced, vaguely associate themselves with the company that normally does the work, and insist on being paid right away, said Lillie, who had heard of this happening a handful of times before.
"That's part of their scam," he said. "They go in there, look like they're doing something and walk out with cash."
The Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce e-mailed a warning from the police department and San Mateo County Sheriff's Office on April 2, urging businesses owners to be aware of a possible fire inspection scam.
Clayton Jolley, a battalion chief for the Coastside Fire Protection District, went to Gazo's Grill on April 2 and confirmed the system had been fraudulently tagged.
A company that misrepresents itself with the intent of deceit could be in violation of its license and face various penalties, according to Contractors State License Board spokeswoman Pamela Mares.
"We strongly encourage anyone who has a problem with this company to contact us and file a complaint," she said.
One Pacifica fire protection contractor said Pacific Fire Protection Inc. has been blanketing the area for at least a year.
Larry Passmore owns Pacific Fire Safe and said his business had been tampered with numerous times by similarly named Pacific Fire Protection Inc.
He estimated 20 restaurants in San Mateo County that he normally provides services to were visited by them.
"They show up and say they're with Pacific Fire. People don't realize it's different," he said. "Sometimes they say 'We're working for Larry now' or 'He's out of business.'"
Minerva Garcia has managed Playa De Acapulco Restaurant on Rockaway Beach Avenue in Pacifica for more than 20 years.
Yet it took three aggressive visits from men who she said were from Pacific Fire Protection Inc. before she realized they didn't work for Passmore.
"They came while we were open to do the hood," she said. "I thought it was weird because you're supposed to do it when it's not being used and cooled down."
The restaurant now has a note posted informing staff to turn away anyone wanting to check the fire system. It was a different man each time, she said.
Passmore is tired of explaining what's happening to restaurant owners, many of whom don't speak much English.
"I've called the company owner a few times — his name is Amir — and asked why he's doing this," Passmore said.
"He said he'd talk to his technicians and have them stop, but they haven't."
Several calls to Pacific Fire Protection Inc. were not returned.
The Contractors State License Board Web site lists Dan Ben-Yishay and Amir Kutay as the owner and officer of the company, respectively. The Web site also says the company has no employees.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
Flustered and with four tables awaiting service, Hare quickly asked if he worked for her regular guy, John Lillie from Coastside Fire Protection, of San Francisco. The man, whose name she didn't catch, told her he was under the same management, she said.
"Something struck me as weird but for some reason I still let him back here," said Hare, juggling a phone call and customer on a typically hectic afternoon at the restaurant.
As it turns out, her instincts were correct. The man is believed to be from a Southern California-based company that has allegedly been targeting small mom-and-pop eateries in the area by having the company's employees falsely represent the local fire protection contractors with which most of the restaurants have long-standing arrangements.
Hare noticed something was off when the man, wearing a shirt that said Pacific Inc., threatened to report her to a credit agency if she didn't cut him a check for $150. She asked him to call Lillie, who always billed later. Then the man admitted to working for a different fire protection company and proceeded to rip off the service tag he attached to her fire extinguisher, she said.
At that point, Hare connected the dots and realized last
Advertisement
week's incident wasn't the first time one of her businesses was hit.
In February, Gazo's Grill in Pescadero, of which she is a co-owner, received a similar visit. Another man came during odd hours and demanded a cook pay him $150 for checking the fire extinguishers.
He left tags on them indicating Pacific Fire Protection Inc., a company with listings in Tarzana, Valley Village and San Francisco.
The scammers arrive unannounced, vaguely associate themselves with the company that normally does the work, and insist on being paid right away, said Lillie, who had heard of this happening a handful of times before.
"That's part of their scam," he said. "They go in there, look like they're doing something and walk out with cash."
The Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce e-mailed a warning from the police department and San Mateo County Sheriff's Office on April 2, urging businesses owners to be aware of a possible fire inspection scam.
Clayton Jolley, a battalion chief for the Coastside Fire Protection District, went to Gazo's Grill on April 2 and confirmed the system had been fraudulently tagged.
A company that misrepresents itself with the intent of deceit could be in violation of its license and face various penalties, according to Contractors State License Board spokeswoman Pamela Mares.
"We strongly encourage anyone who has a problem with this company to contact us and file a complaint," she said.
One Pacifica fire protection contractor said Pacific Fire Protection Inc. has been blanketing the area for at least a year.
Larry Passmore owns Pacific Fire Safe and said his business had been tampered with numerous times by similarly named Pacific Fire Protection Inc.
He estimated 20 restaurants in San Mateo County that he normally provides services to were visited by them.
"They show up and say they're with Pacific Fire. People don't realize it's different," he said. "Sometimes they say 'We're working for Larry now' or 'He's out of business.'"
Minerva Garcia has managed Playa De Acapulco Restaurant on Rockaway Beach Avenue in Pacifica for more than 20 years.
Yet it took three aggressive visits from men who she said were from Pacific Fire Protection Inc. before she realized they didn't work for Passmore.
"They came while we were open to do the hood," she said. "I thought it was weird because you're supposed to do it when it's not being used and cooled down."
The restaurant now has a note posted informing staff to turn away anyone wanting to check the fire system. It was a different man each time, she said.
Passmore is tired of explaining what's happening to restaurant owners, many of whom don't speak much English.
"I've called the company owner a few times — his name is Amir — and asked why he's doing this," Passmore said.
"He said he'd talk to his technicians and have them stop, but they haven't."
Several calls to Pacific Fire Protection Inc. were not returned.
The Contractors State License Board Web site lists Dan Ben-Yishay and Amir Kutay as the owner and officer of the company, respectively. The Web site also says the company has no employees.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
