A Sanford, Florida, homeowner says she returned to her property to find her driveway gone, a discovery that has since drawn a fraud investigation and renewed warnings about construction-related scams. In February, Sanford homeowner Luz Lenzi discovered someone had demolished her concrete driveway after a colleague called to report a massive pile of gravel in her front yard.
The colleague said they observed construction activity around the home before Lenzi realized anything was wrong. “She said, ‘Luzi, there is a mountain in front of your house and your driveway is gone,” Lenzi recalled her neighbor saying at the time. A July 2026 update from the Sanford Police Department revealed Lenzi wasn’t even the intended target.
The suspected scam may have originated in Africa
Police now allege an overseas scammer operating out of Nigeria used an email address and a fake New Mexico company, “SOIL Realty LLC,” to hire an unsuspecting local contractor to replace the driveway, according to ClickOrlando. The scammer likely targeted Lenzi’s home because Lenzi listed it on the real estate market.
The crew ripped up the concrete but stopped working when a $15,000 check from the fake company bounced. Investigators believe the operation was an attempt to extort or manipulate the contractor out of funds. While the contractor initially refused to fix the property, they have since agreed to reimburse Lenzi for the $5,000 rebuilding cost.
Lenzi initially told local media she had assumed something routine had happened, such as scheduled repair work or a city-related project. However, she said she had not approved or arranged for any driveway removal at her home. She then contacted authorities after confirming no legitimate contractor order matched the work done on her property.
Investigators with the Sanford Police Department opened a fraud investigation shortly after Lenzi filed the complaint. Authorities said the situation did not align with a typical residential construction dispute and instead showed signs consistent with a broader scam pattern involving unauthorized or deceptive contracting work.
Officials have not publicly identified suspects or announced any arrests in the case. They also have not said how many individuals were involved in coordinating or carrying out the work on the Sanford property. Investigators continue to review communications, financial records, and contractor activity connected to the incident.
Lenzi’s case is not the first involving a missing driveway in Central Florida. In December 2023, Apopka homeowner Amanda Brochu returned from work to find someone had torn out her concrete driveway after someone posing as the property owner hired a contractor to replace it.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigated when someone using the fake name “Andre” contacted contractors. Investigators believed Brochu had become an unintended victim of an overpayment scam targeting contractors rather than homeowners.
