Tradie vanishes after being accused of pocketing $450,000 from ‘dozens’ of clients

In the world of home renovations and construction, trust between the contractor and the client is paramount. This is especially important for homeowners, who entrust their hard-earned money and the safety of their homes to tradespeople, expecting them to deliver quality work on time.

However, a recent case in Queensland has left dozens of homeowners feeling betrayed and out of pocket, raising questions about how to ensure you're hiring a reliable contractor.


Tradesman Hong Thanh Dang Tran, 44, has been accused of allegedly defrauding 35 Queenslanders out of a staggering $450,000 before disappearing, leaving their jobs unfinished. The accused serial fraudster was recently charged with 35 counts of fraud and appeared in Richlands Magistrate Court.

He is currently in custody, also facing an impersonation charge and accusations of renting tools from Bunnings and never returning them.


pexels-allan-mas-5383809.jpg
A tradesman was accused of pocketing $450,000 collected from 35 of his clients. Credit: Allan Mas/Pexels

The authorities believe more victims could surface.

One of the alleged victims, Sadiq Akbar, found Dang Tran on Facebook Marketplace and hired him for a major renovation at his Kuraby home in Brisbane.

After handing over $22,500, Akbar claimed the builder simply 'disappeared', leaving him to hire another builder to help get his bathroom working again.


Umair Rizvi, another alleged victim, also shared how he contacted Dang Tran on Facebook in the hopes of finding someone who could update his Forest Lake garage into an additional living space.

Rizvi said he transferred $16,500 to Dang Tran for the renovations.

'He started some work, ripped up the tiles, removed the walls, made partitions... but he never finished it,' Rizvi told a news source. He claimed he has yet to hear from Dang Tran since then.

Meanwhile, a third victim allegedly handed over $15,000 before the builder switched his phone off and vanished.


But this is not the first time Dang Tran has been in the spotlight. In 2021, NSW Fair Trading issued a public warning against using Dang Tran’s services following complaints from customers for contracts.

NSW Fair Trading shared: 'Consumers complain that Mr Tran (including through corporate entities) has contracted to do residential building work without a licence to do so, advertised that he is willing to do residential building work he was not licenced for, contracted to do work requiring insurance under the Home Building Compensation Fund without obtaining any such insurance, and accepted substantial sums of money and without providing the services paid for.’

‘Consumers are also urged to check that their tradesperson is appropriately licensed to do the work,’ they added.

Among the aliases Dang Tran was known to have used at the time in community pages are Thuong Tho Pham, John Wilde, Elvis Tran, David Tran, Kevin Tran, Ethan Tran, Tommy Nguyen, Paul Lee, Dave the Builder, and TT Building and Construction.

Consumers are also urged to make complaints by calling 13 32 20 (8.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday) or by submitting their complaint using forms found on the NSW Fair Trading website here.
Key Takeaways
  • A tradesman named Hong Thanh Dang Tran has been charged with 35 counts of fraud involving $450,000 from 35 alleged victims in Queensland.
  • Dang Tran is also facing charges for impersonation and for failing to return rented tools from Bunnings.
  • The alleged victims claimed they found Dang Tran through Facebook Marketplace and paid him for home renovation work that he did not complete.
  • In 2021, authorities and NSW Fair Trading warned the public not to use Dang Tran's services following numerous complaints.
Have you had a similar experience with a contractor? Share your story in the comments below to help others avoid the same pitfalls.
 
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If you are gullible enough to engage an unknown trades person from Facebook then you should face the consequences.
These people advertise ridiculously low rates and then abscond with your deposits.
Before engaging any tradie check up on their credentials and qualifications. In NSW all tradespersons must be licensed for their particular trade and can only accept gazetted amounts of deposits.
 
For Queenslanders ,if you need a tradie, always check with QBCC first if they are licensed and they should display their licence number . If they are not with QBCC , they can only jobs not over $3,300 .-They hardly do display that on their website.
Save yourself a lot of trouble and money as well . We had a guy , he was a concreter and in his website it stated he was fully licensed and insured . We found out later he was not licensed and not insured , he has the most Top Notch website you will ever see , but he is a liar , I call him a make-up artist . His reviews were very good , probably from friends or family .
Save yourself a lot of trouble and money and check for their license number. We have now formed a group with several others who are in the same boat and even have contacted A Current Affair . There is a 17 week waiting time before an assessor is coming out from QBCC. In the meantime this rotten tradie is still doing work and ripping off more people . QBCC should have stopped him straight away to do more damage .
 
If you are gullible enough to engage an unknown trades person from Facebook then you should face the consequences.
These people advertise ridiculously low rates and then abscond with your deposits.
Before engaging any tradie check up on their credentials and qualifications. In NSW all tradespersons must be licensed for their particular trade and can only accept gazetted amounts of deposits.
For Queenslanders ,if you need a tradie, always check with QBCC first if they are licensed and they should display their licence number . If they are not with QBCC , they can only jobs not over $3,300 .-They hardly do display that on their website.
Save yourself a lot of trouble and money as well . We had a guy , he was a concreter and in his website it stated he was fully licensed and insured . We found out later he was not licensed and not insured , he has the most Top Notch website you will ever see , but he is a liar , I call him a make-up artist . His reviews were very good , probably from friends or family .
Save yourself a lot of trouble and money and check for their license number. We have now formed a group with several others who are in the same boat and even have contacted A Current Affair . There is a 17 week waiting time before an assessor is coming out from QBCC. In the meantime this rotten tradie is still doing work and ripping off more people . QBCC should have stopped him straight away to do more damage .
Always ask for names of previous work so you may get first hand reviews. Even ask to see the final result.
Thanks for the handy tips! 🙏

@Mina vriesekolk, what tipped you off that something wasn't quite right with the tradie? Was it a bad job, evasiveness in conversations about his past work, or maybe even another person telling you about him? :O
 
Thanks for the handy tips! 🙏

@Mina vriesekolk, what tipped you off that something wasn't quite right with the tradie? Was it a bad job, evasiveness in conversations about his past work, or maybe even another person telling you about him? :O
Very bad job , from the retaining wall , slabs are falling out , concrete slab for pool surrounding cracking and a piece fell off due to the underlaying soil was not compacted . Reinforced steel in concrete slab was laid straight onto the soil, no little stools used to lift the steel up , so it sits in the concrete , though were charged for the stools . No expansion cuts done , no foam used against the pool allowing for expansion. The whole slab is not level . Did not clean up his mess and used our equipment like our wheelbarrow was. Used for concrete , damaged a 20 litre bucket , used our spade for concrete , the list goes on and on. I do not know how he can live with himself to do that to older people and he only lives one street away. We had to hire a temporary fence which adds to the costs of $ 600.- every 3 months and another $600.- for extension of pool approval . We send him the bills , but no reply . Every time he said he’ll fix it but he doesn’t . From QBCC he is only allowed to come here under supervision of an licensed concreter . If you are interested , have a look on his website , which is NPH concreter. Thank you for showing interest .
 

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