A fake home inspector who did work in Eastern Oregon was fined $80,000 by the state Construction Contractors Board.

Gregory Mason Miller of Bend fraudulently used the license number of a legitimate construction contractor with the same first and last name, along with the name of a Bend business he was not actually affiliated with, to falsely claim he was licensed, bonded and insured, according to a news release from the CCB.

Enforcement manager Stan Jessup said Miller did “significant business” over a period of several months without being certified or licensed. The board is still trying to locate everywhere he did inspections, but Jessup said they have found cases as far east as Malheur County and as far north as the Columbia Gorge.

“We’ve pegged him literally all over Eastern Oregon,” Jessup said. “He traveled quite a distance.”

Home inspectors must pass a national exam to be certified by the CCB and must hold a contractor license through the state where they are working. Jessup said the exam to become a home inspector is more thorough than that of a regular contractor and covers “everything from the foundation to the roof.”

The Construction Contractors Board has a website where consumers can look up a contractor’s name or license number to verify their credentials. In Miller’s case, Jessup said the fraud was difficult to detect because he was using the license number of a legitimate contractor in another part of the state with the same first and last name.

Jessup said Miller was caught because a customer tried to look up his phone number online and reached the legitimate contractor instead, who had no idea what they were talking about. Since then the office has fielded a number of complaints from real estate agents who had paid Miller to conduct what they thought was a legitimate home inspection.

“There is no recourse there,” Jessup said.

Miller has been added to the board’s Buyer Beware list that warns consumers of people who have engaged in predatory and phony contracting work in the past.

Jessup said the case is a good reminder that people lie — convincingly — about their credentials and it is important to thoroughly vet a contractor before hiring them.

To verify a contractor’s license, enter their license number or name at www.oregon.gov/ccb or call 503-378-4621. To report unlicensed contractors and other illegal activity, visit the website or call 503-934-2246.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.