![Daniel Crawford took to social media after reports a notorious scammer was using his business name. Picture by Robert Peet Daniel Crawford took to social media after reports a notorious scammer was using his business name. Picture by Robert Peet](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/123041529/328dbb77-854e-49e1-9887-8ff94cd8b72c.jpg/r97_0_5374_2821_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
An Albion Park tradie has taken to social media to allege a notorious scammer has used his business name to dupe clients and fellow contractors.
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Daniel Crawford, who trades as Coastal Concreting Illawarra, started receiving calls last week from fellow contractors saying that another concreter was using his name after charging high amounts for poor quality works.
Subsequent investigations by Mr Crawford and his colleagues revealed that the man who was operating as Coastal Concreting Illawarra was allegedly Mehmet (Mick) Onkun who was been the subject of a Fair Trading Notice in December 2020.
Mr Crawford then called Mr Onkun directly.
"I rang him up and he agreed to be Coastal Concreting Illawarra," Mr Crawford said.
This precipitated Mr Crawford's take to social media to warn Illawarra residents that Mr Onkun was operating under his business name.
This is not the first time that Mr Onkun's business practices have raised eyebrows. In late 2020, NSW Fair Trading issued a rare public notice warning consumers to not do business with Mr Onkun.
The notice followed numerous complaints to NSW Fair Trading, several of which were under further investigation.
"Mr Onkun does not hold a licence under the Home Building Act authorising him to contract for or perform residential building work," the notice stated.
The warning included numerous business names adopted by Mr Onkun, including Europe Cement Rendering, Europe Cement Render and Concrete, Illawarra Concreting and Constructions and Illawarra Concreting and Excavations.
A spokesperson for the NSW Building Commission said complaints continued after the notice, with 33 complaints about Mr Onkun between December 24, 2008 and 18 January, 2024.
"The trader history shows a variety of complaints ranging from poor work quality work standards, unlicenced contracting, requesting excessive deposits and carrying out residential building work without Home Building Warranty Insurance," the spokesperson said.
"Mr Okun has been issued 14 penalty notices for unlicensed contracting and unlicensed work, uninsured work, wrongly accepting payments and demanding excessive deposits."
Contacted by The Mercury on Monday, February 5, Mr Onkun denied using Mr Crawford's business name, but maintained he was in business as Illawarra Concreting and Excavations.
Mr Onkun freely admitted he was unlicensed and continued to operate despite Fair Trading's warning due to a loophole in NSW's building laws that enables unlicensed trades to operate.
"I don't do big jobs, I just do jobs under $5000."
The Home Building Act does not require trades to be licensed for work valued at less than $5000.
While the NSW government has introduced stricter laws following a raft of building scandals, builders completing small jobs can still operate without a licence, despite 92 per cent of respondents to a poll conducted as part of consultation on the reforms saying builders must be licensed.
After years of building up his business's name through solid work and recommendations, Mr Crawford said unscrupulous operators could take this all away.
"You build up such a reputation and then you get someone who can easily come along and take it away from you."