Consumer Affairs warns of fraudulent contractor

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is warning people about a man who has been posing as a licensed contractor on Oahu and leaving repair jobs unfinished.

Bienvenido Pedro Jr. was fined $14,446 this month for unlicensed contracts on three job sites in Mililani, according to the department's Regulated Industries Complaints Office.

Pedro often uses a fictitious corporation, J&H Construction Inc., and a license number that does not belong to him, according to the department.

"Homeowners need to beware of phony contractors," said Jo Ann Uchida, a complaints and enforcement officer at the department.

Uchida said consumers should always check whether a contractor's license number is legitimate.