Getting scammed by a contractor in Georgia

[David Grant]

Hey guys,

Unfortunately I have given a lot of money to a contractor (more than 2/3 of total rehab cost) to an unlicensed contractor (he deceived us that he was licensed). He claims he has spent the money and unable to start work unless we give him more. We don't trust him and told him to just give us our funds back. When we did, he quoted a ridiculous quote. The amount he owes us is in the range of $40K - $60k. We are early in our careers so this is a lot of money for us.

I am wondering if you have any advice, this is for a project in Atlanta. It seems a bit ridiculous there aren't better consumer protections but after talking to a few attorneys, it seems like that is the case with Georgia law.

I am wondering if the BP community may have a better perspective as the attorneys are incentivized for us to take them on.

Much appreciated!