and camera over there. >> as we open "the hansen files." i'm chris answerehansen. thanks for joining us. over the years we've reported on all kinds of schemes and scams from the simple to the sophisticated. one thing they all had in common was the digging it took through boxes and boxes of files and documents to get to the truth. we're still digging and have three new dateline hidden camera investigations, stories that will save you money and more importantly, keep you safe. we start with what may be one of the oldest scams in the book. alive and well and taking hard earned money from people just like you. you see the neon signs in the windows and you probably walk by. because you think you'd know better than to spend a nickel on a fortuneteller. that's what this man thought. at first. how much money did you give this fortuneteller?

>> somewhere between $80,000 and $90,000. >> $80,000 and $90,000. steve hames said he visited a psychic in a moment of need. >> i ended a relationship. i was looking for direction. >> it began with a $25 tero card reading. a fortuneteller told him -- >> you're supposed to have these good things happening to you but there's this block, darkness, negativity. >> in other words, he had a curse over his head. negativity only she could remove. steve says nine years and $90,000 later, his bank account was empty. his credit cards maxed out. you're not a dumb guy. you're highly educated. you have a lot of skills. grew up in a good home. how did you get conned? >> i can't even begin to describe how good they are at this in terms of just being convincing and really trying to paint this picture in your mind that they have all the answers. >> and steve's not alone.

lately, there have been headlines. victims losing thousands. some going to court. others too ashamed to talk about how they'd been taken. now, he runs a website, gypsypsychicscams.com which tried to help other victims like jill, whose husband, richard, seemed to have an addiction to his fortuneteller. >> i thought he had a woman on the side. i thought he was cheating. >> he wasn't cheating. he was going here to the chicago store front to visit a psychic who claimed he, too, was the victim of an age-old curse. a highly successful cpa and author, richard pela was tapping their business and personal bank accounts to pay for it all. when did you finally call him out? >> i saw richard coming out of his office. he walked across the street to the bank building. i honked my horn and waved at him. he walked like a zombie. he did not see me. he came out of the bank and was

carrying an envelope. i followed him. he went to the back door of the psychic's office and put this envelope he had gotten from the bank through the mail slot and then he just drove off. >> she says there was $30,000 in cash stuffed in that envelope. money she claims was going to the fortuneteller. >> i was totally sick to my stomach. and i sat there and i was shaking, and i didn't know what to do. >> a few days later, jill confronted her husband, telling him he was being taken. >> how did he respond to that? >> he just said, you're wrong. she is a good person. and i said, richard, whatever she's got on you, we'll work it out, we will get through this, but please stop. >> but he didn't stop. according to his wife, it went on and on. finally, she filed for divorce.

jill sued the fortuneteller, too, claiming she ended up with a fortune gained from the couple's money. >> been holding yourself out as a psychic for a number of years. >> i refuse to answer that under the fifth amendment basis. >> how much did the judge order the fortuneteller to pay back? wait until you hear. now, you went to court and actually got a judgment order for $1 million. >> yes. >> against the fortuneteller. >> that's what i could prove. >> that's what you could put on paper. >> that's what i could put on paper. >> have you seen one scent of this judgment order? >> no. >> was the fortuneteller guilty of a crime? according to law enforcement, not if she made it clear her services were strictly for entertainment. but in most states, charging money for outrageous claims or promises is a crime. it's often called theft by deception. >> it's a pretty simple con. >> illinois state police inspector bill hendrickson has 16 years' experience investigating confidence crimes. but in this case, jill's husband

never filed a complaint. >> he believed that the person was helping protect his family from evil spirits. >> so his fortuneteller was never prosecuted. does he even believe he's a victim at this point? >> no. >> richard pelo declined our request for an interview. how prevalent are these fortune telling scams? >> very prevalent. we estimate that at the bare minimum they make approximately $250,000 per year. >> a quarter million dollars a year. >> yes. >> we're about to see just what can happen nowadays. you knock on the door of a fortuneteller with a pocket full of cash and the hope of seeing the future. coming up -- >> right man in your life. >> not only didn't this fortuneteller see into the

future futurer, she didn't see us heading to her front door. >> i'm chris hansen and work for dateline nbc. when the "hansen files" continue. host: is the pen mightier than the sword? ninja 2: ow vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. they're itchy, dry and uncomfortable. i can't wait to take 'em out, throw 'em away and never see them again. [ male announcer ] know the feeling?

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i honked my horn and waved at him and he walked like a zombie. >> a wife whose husband spent $1 million on a fortuneteller. hard to believe, but we're about to show you just how some fortune tellers get people to fork over their money. >>

>>ly hi, you do readings? >> meet miss maya of bloomfield, new jersey. wearing a hidden camera, a dateline producer pays $60 for a card reading and receives bad news. miss maya tells the young woman someone is jealous of her, there is darkness and negativity. >> it needs to be removed. >> and miss maya has a plan. it starts with bath gel. >> you're going to bathe with this. >> okay. >> yes. >> you're going to use this after you take a shower. on your hand. a little on your feet. little bit on the neck. >> this she says will shock the anything negativity away. over two more visits we pay another $6 o for oils, crystals and gels. to really get rid of the bad spirits, miss maya will need more. >> like a spiritual cleaning. >> how much is it? >> $1,200. >> and $1,200 is for how much time's worth?

>> but what will all these gels and crystals do? what will we get if we pay the $ $1,200? listen to the promises. >> gel, right man in your life, all good things come to you. >> sounds good. our associate producers warn to keep her visit a secret. >> don't tell no one. it's not good luck. >> meanwhile, just 20 minutes away, there's another psychic named miss kim. a different dateline volunteer has been seeing her for what she's calling boyfriend troubles. she pays $50 for a card reading. once again, this fortuneteller says there's negativity. like a curse. and it has to be removed. these three days are critically important. i'm going to be cleansing. taking away the negativity. all the jealous that's around you, that's affecting you like a magnet. >> again, just as with the other

psych psychic, it's oil she needs. >> very spiritual. no cost. >> no cost now. for the next visit she says she's going to want $300. by the way, the oil she gave us is the same stuff we got from miss maya, and the instructions are also nearly identical. >> you're going to get yourself a q tip. put a little bit on your wrist, little bit on your belly button. >> on our next visit, miss kim says she needs $150 to buy lingerie for our volunteer. >> i'm going to go buy special things and work with them. >> what could she possibly do with lingerie? it's all very complicated. >> i have to rip and tear and put knots and put certain numbers and tie them together. you could be full and pure and cleansed. >> okay. so after you work with them spiritually you give them to

me -- >> it is with the other psychic she warns, tell no one. >> this is mine and your business. >> okay. >> no one is to know. >> hi. >> on this visit, miss kim is excited about our volunteer's progress. >> the work is responding. that thing that i'd done worked amazingl amazingly. >> she needs to do more and naturally it's going to cost. >> the material i need, they're expensive. i'm going to need them right away. i need powerful crystals. >> and they're expensive crystals. we spent almost $800 for the visit to miss kim, but we decided not to go for the $500 crystals. as for miss maya, we skipped the $1,200 spiritual cleansing. but it became clear how true believers like jill pelo's husband could get pleased. we showed our video to miss kim

to illinois state inspector william hendhendrickson. when she did things she couldn't deliver like nourish your inner body, it's breaking the law. fairly typical in what you see in investigations? >> yes. use tarot cards, candles and crystals of all kinds and it's all a part of getting folks into what i call the belief zone. >> she's teeing the victim up. >> exactly. >> we asked our dateline staffers to pay one more visit to the fortunetellers. this time i came along. hi, miss maya? i'm with katie. i wonder if i can talk to you a minute. hi, nice to see you. >> nice to see you, too. >> i'm chris hansen. i work for dateline nbc. we've been doing a story on fortunetellers. we found sometimes they promise things they can't deliver.

i let her and her husband know we'd been filming with hidden cameras and showed her some of our video. >> i told her she had a lot of negativity. >> she denied that she was making promises that she couldn't keep and told us what she did was all in fun. >> what i do here is more like -- let me explain to you. >> sure. >> i do parties. >> right. >> okay. it's more like amusement. i used to work in the -- >> entertainment. >> more of entertainment. >> in fact, she and her husband seem to admit she had no special psychic talent. look at the advertisement on the front window. do you consider yourself a clairvoyant, a fortuneteller? i remind her we've seen her pitch and heard her promises all about the negativity she could remove for a price. now, you asked her for $1,200 though. >> i told her -- if she wants to. >> what service can you perform for $1,200? >> for as long as it takes. >> pray with her. comfort her.

>> that seems like a lot of money, miss maya. >> no, not really. >> is it fair to make people think there's negativity around them then try to talk them into paying you large amounts of money? >> no, no. >> for things you can't really provide? >> i charge -- you know what i do with the money? when i go to my church, i give it to prayers, for donations to answer our prayers. >> how much do you give to the church and how much do you keep? >> make 60 bucks, i would give 40, 50. >> we also paid a return visit to miss kim. hey, miss kim, how are you? >> hi, how are you? >> good. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc. nice to see you. why did you tell her not to tell anyone else? >> because spiritually that's how it works. you tell people, brings bad energy. >> it also could be you don't want her telling somebody in law enforcement or something like that? >> what i told her is when she sees her results, to recommend me. >> unlike miss maya, miss kim didn't back down and say she was

just an entertainer. miss kim says she's for real. >> i never make her believe. this is my job. people need spiritual cleansed to reunite love and this is what i do. >> how can you promise that this will actually work? >> because i was born with the gift. >> you were born with a gift. >> yes. >> if one implies the gift is the ability to separate people from their money -- >> i'm sorry. i'm hurt. >> why are you hurt? you're the one who took almost $1,000 of her money. >> you know, i told her it's okay. i did make that clear. cut these off. >> what's the lessen? beware of promises like this. >> i give you my word. i'll take care of you. i won't let nothing go bad. just trust me. >> okay. >> all right? coming up, how much do you

really know about the people you trust with your health? >> i found out that he's a registered sex offender. and later, they were supposed to be cleaning the air in her house. this is before they did the work. this is after. >> this woman in my

a doctor convicted of sexual abuse is allowed to keep practicing. a dentist convicted of possessing child pornography will be allowed to get his license back. if your doctor or some other professional you trust has ever been convicted of a crime, would you know about it? there is a way for you to find

out. a couple with marital problems is about to keep their appointment with this therapist. his name, john gagnon. but these patients are really dateline producers wearing hidden cameras. and they're here because we know something about this therapist many of his patients may not know. it's certainly something jennifer larson didn't know back in 2004 when she and her boyfriend were searching for a therapist to help them with their relationship problems. after seeing his ad in a psychology magazine, they made an appointment with gagnon in his home office in connecticut. they barely made it up the driveway when -- >> this gentleman shows up behind us. >> it was john gagnon. it didn't look like your average therapist. >> he was dressed in full u.s. army battle fatigues with one

star on his collar indicating that he's a general in the u.s. army. >> if that seemed unusual, his explanation was stranger. >> he proceeded to tell us that he had just been back from a mission, that he was literally coming in the door from it. >> even more bizarre, larson says he told her the mission was an al qaeda raid in the middle east. after their session, larson and her boyfriend called the army and asked if there was a general john gagnon. >> and we were told no. >> so they went to the stanford police. gagnon was arrested and later pleaded no contest to a charge of unauthorized use of a military uniform. he was sentenced to 18 months probation. but the police told jennifer that john gagnon had a much darker secret. something much worse than faking his military record. >> i found out at that point he's a registered sex offender. >> that's right. marriage therapist gagnon was

convicted of sexual assault in the late '80s and although he must notify authorities if he changes his address, or has any contact with schoolchildren, he remains licensed with advise patients about their most intimate relationship problems. >> he's been convicted of offending sexually. you'd think that would be enough for a licensing board to say, you know what, maybe it's not a good idea for us to allow him in this position of trust. >> on the surface, a perspective patient like jennifer wouldn't know there was anything amiss looking at gagnon's resume. it boasts a ph.d. in psychology and says he's a teacher and a author with memberships in various associations and academies. if you knew where to look, you could find out a whole lot more about john gagnon. now, thanks to public online database s you can do your background checks on a doctor, lawyer, stockbroker, to find the truth about people who may not want you to know their whole

story. tommy joyce works with a data service, lexusnexus for public databases that have public histories on professionals we rely on. >> if people can do the proper background checks, who they're doing business with, can help them make better decisions. >> how did john gagnon's name come to our attention? lexisnexis, with their help, we compared their lists to other online lists. this time of licensed health professionals in several states. there were several names that popped up. one of them was gagnon's. >> does it surprise you we were able to find a licensed therapist with this kind of a criminal history? >> no, i'm not. aisle not surprised. that data's available. a simple search. >> from police records we found gagnon impersonated a police

officer in 1987 and made a phony traffic stop of a female motorist. gagnon propositioned the woman and grabbed her breasts until she escaped by speeding away. he was convicted of incrimination and sexual assault, served ten days in jill and was required to register as a sex offender for life. now more than 20 years later, john gagnon is still a practicing therapist. as we told you earlier, we decided to make an appointment with gagnon. two producers calling themselves bob and elaine came fitted with hidden cameras. we wanted to know just what he'd tell us about his past. and right off the bat, he made up a story about his military background. >> you were in the military? okay. >> my work was in the area of -- still have connections to counterintelligence and

intelligence. >> however, he did say he could help the couple because he thought they had some problems. our undercover producers paid for the session and left. >> all right. thanks for your time. >> perhaps it's no surprise. gagnon never said anything about being a registered sex offender. a few months later, we booked another appointment. but this time, i'd be the one showing up at the door. hey, doctor? >> yes, sir. >> chris hansen with dateline nbc. how are you? [ male announcer ] if you're only brushing, add listerine® total care for more complete oral care. ♪ it works in six different ways to restore enamel, strengthen teeth, freshen breath, help prevent cavities, and kill bad breath germs for a whole mouth clean. so go beyond the brush with listerine® total care. the most complete mouthwash. and for visibly whiter teeth, try listerine® total care plus whitening.

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he's a licensed therapist, but our background check revealed he's also a registered sex offender. >> hi, i'm dr. gagnon. >> when our undercover producers posed as perspective patients, he didn't disclose anything about his criminal past. so we made one more appointment. so i could pay him a visit. hey, doctor? >> yes, sir? >> chris hansen with dateline nbc. how you? >> good. >> how's everything? >> what are you doing here? >> i wanted to ask you some questions if i could. we're doing a story on professionals who may not be exactly who folks think they

are. after first insisting we leave, gagnon eventually agreed to let us stay. i told him we knew all about his conviction for sexual assault. you are a registered sex offender. >> for something i never did. >> for something you never did. >> that's correct. >> gagnon denied he ever assaulted a woman and claimed his lawyer did a terrible job defending him. >> i never, never, never, never, never, never committed that crime. i would not have even thought to commit a crime like that. >> gagnon said it was all a setup by the danbury police department. he said back then he was about to testify about police corruption. he got upset as he recalls how he said he was threatened by a police officer. >> we know where you live. of course. and it would be a shame if something happened to you or

your family and there were no responders. and the blood ran cold in my body and i felt a shiver of fear come up my back. and i was terrified. >> we spoke to the danbury police department and former members of the danbury town council. all denied any allegations of corruption. or threats against gagnon. though he denies he committed the sexual assault, he does not deny he pretended to be an army general. >> in the past you dressed up in military garb. >> yes. >> and said you were. you got into trouble for it. >> yes. i discovered at that time that i had a mental illness called manic-depressive condition. and that i believed, truly believed that i was, in fact, a part of the military. >> did you seek treatment for

that? >> yes, i did. >> the connecticut health department did put gagnon on probation after his conviction for impersonating a military officer. gagnon was forbidden to lie about his credentials which would include saying he had been in the military. i reminded him he lied again during the session with our undercover producers, apparently violating his agreement with the state of connecticut. >> what branch were you in? >> u.s. army. >> u.s. army? oh, wow. >> doctor, that's not true, is it? >> no. i called -- i called this gentleman to explain to him that that was not true. >> in fact, gagnon did call our producer after the session to admit he had lied. but what we really wanted to know was, does he ever tell his patients about his past? several weeks after this interview, john gagnon agreed to answer that question. this time with his lawyer present. first, we wanted to know why he

didn't tell our undercover producers anything about his past. shouldn't your patients know that, in fact, you're a registered sex offender? >> yes. >> do you tell them that? >> yes. >> every time? >> yes. but not in the first session, of course. >> not in the first session. >> no. >> why not in the first session? >> because i don't have any kind of trust relationship with them for at least a month or two months. >> but again, going in, if somebody's going to pull out their emotions and seek help from you as a professional, shouldn't they know that, in fact, you were convicted of sexual assault and impersonating a police officer? >> yes. well, first of all, i'm innocent of those charges. >> well, you were convicted by a jury. >> i understand what you're saying. >> his conviction stands. we wanted to know why a man who has two convictions on his record and is a registered sex offender still has a license to practice psychotherapy in the state of connecticut.

a spokesman for the state's d department of public health declined an interview but told us in an e-mail it conducted a investigation into the sexual assault in the '80s and found insufficient evidence to take any action. remember, the health department did put gagnon on probation for impersonating an army officer. since our visit, he pled guilty to carrying a weapon after a patient said he was wearing a gun during a therapy session. the state is conducting a new investigation into whether or not he's fit to practice. for his part gagnon says despite everything, he's still qualified to be a therapist. >> i want people to know that i'm a very good psychotherapist. i want people to know that i'm on treatment and everything i have done in my life has been aimed toward helping people. >> whether john gagnon should be practicing therapy or not, tommy joyce of lexisnexis says the

biggest point is perspective therapy patients or anyone about to place their trust in a professional should at least be aware of that person's past. >> i think you should know who you're dealing with and have that complete picture of that individual. so you can make it a better and informed decision. coming up, they promised her cleaner air. >> and this is $49, right? >> yep. >> okay. >> they didn't know we were watching their dirty work. there was a camera over there and there was a camera over there. clearing the air. when "the hansen files" continues. dududucts

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all over your home. for healthy tips and more, visit lysol.com/ missionforhealth. now we're going to show you one of the most brazen scams we've ever encountered. one that according to the better business bureau has thrived for more than a decade. a con that involves dozens of companies resulting in thousands of consumers being ripped off to the tune of millions of dollars. what's it all about? nothing less than the air you breathe. this woman reading the newspaper at her dining room table has invited these workers into her home. she hired them to make sure the air in her house is clean. so why is all this debris flying

around her head? as you may have guessed, they aren't making her air any cleaner. but she is being taken to the cleaners. tonight, we'll show you what happens when there's a scam in the air. and how we will expose who's behind it. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc. >> okay. >> it's a rip-off that the better business bureau thinks is huge. >> i've never seen anything like this in my 19 or 20 years with bbb. >> michelle mason is the president of the better business bureau of north alabama. more than a year she's been investigating the scams which she says regularly target one of the most vulnerable segments of the population. >> we found them targeting the elderly. >> elderly. >> absolutely. in our area they offered discounts if you were a senior citizen. >> if you own a home, you probably already know what air ducts are. they carry air from the furnace

or air-conditioning units into the rooms of your home. sometimes they need to be cleaned. the problem according to michelle mason is few homeowners know what the job entails. >> very rarely do we understand how it works, how long it should take, how much it should cost. >> which is precisely why the scammers have been able to cash in. they get in the door promising homeowners and air duct cleaning for a low price of $49.95 which experts say is just a fraction of what a proper cleaning should cost. once inside your house, the price skyrockets way beyond $49.95. >> the coupon that i got for this company came in a flier to my home. >> has what happened to amy mcnair of ohio who saw one of the ads. >> we all had allergies. >> so amy took the company up on its promotional offer. once the technician got to the house -- >> the total amount, $1,080.60. i felt intimidated at that point.

>> it's called bait and switch. promising a low price only to raise it once in the door. so how does it happen? to find out, jim and mary foley of suburban cincinnati volunteered to call duct masters, a company with numerous complaints on file with the better business bureau. they allowed us to install hidden cameras in their home. >> i saw your ad for duct cleaning. i thought i was interesting. >> but would mary foley really end up paying $49.95? here comes the technician from duct masters. >> this is my wife, mary. >> how do you do? >> we saw your ad here. >> okay. okay. we'll take care of every bit of these pieces here for you. then you'll get an inspection. any other services that may be beneficial to you will be on there beyond this. >> the technician gets to work, wheeling in an industrial vacuum and other equipment. >> that's a big piece of -- >> he cleans vents upstairs and the system downstairs.

it's time to talk price. remember, they're expecting the job to cost $49.95. that's the bait. >> all i've done so far is the $49.95, period. >> here comes the switch. >> you have five additional returns. you have two additional main lines. >> the technician tells them the ad covers cleaning for part of their system. if they want the entire system cleaned, it will cost more. >> you charge extra for these? >> for the -- yes, ma'am. these are all the additional things above and beyond the coupon. >> what will the extra work cost? >> $928.66. >> his first quote, $928.66. he says he can cut them a deal. >> $359.85, full restoration on all your duct work. >> almost $360. far from the $49.95 offer. the foleys give the go ahead and

the technician goes back to work. in the end, the job cost more than seven times what the ad promised. >> we watched him close it up with buttons. that's good. >> we asked buck shepard, president of the national air duct cleaners association, a 40-year veteran of the business, to check on what the technician had done. >> when we gets down to the work after you take the marketing and salesman ship out of it, kid did a good job. >> even if the technician did a decent job, shepard disapro app of the $49.95 sales pitch. what if you had to pay several hundred dollars and the work never happened? things are about to go very wrong in this woman's home. but this time i'll be there to let the technician know there's more in the walls than just air ducts. >> there was a camera over there, and there was a camera over there. >> okay. >> while you were doing the work last week.

35.85. >> this air duct cleaner in kentucky turned a $49 promise into a $360 bait and switch. could it happen again? >> i saw it in the paper and interested in having my air ducts cleaned. >> we asked another homeowner to make an appointment with the same company. this time 74-year-old judy pruce allowed us to use her house to see if duct masters would finally deliver on the $49 promotion. >> a house this size should take somewhere between 3 1/2 to 4 hours to do. >> buck shepard is president of the national air duct cleaners association. we asked him to inspect judy's duct work. >> you have a nice system that will definitely benefit from a good duct cleaning.

>> take a look. her ducts are filthy. how well will duct masters clean them? will they do it for the advertised price? here come the technicians. >> hello. >> hello. how are you? >> okay. i'm fine. i saw the ad in the paper here. >> shawn and tim have no idea everything is being recorded on hidden cameras. shawn tells julie how he'll clean her system. >> vacuum the system. >> judy reconfirms the price. >> the $49, right? >> yep. >> okay. fine by me. now alone in the basement, shawn does a quick check. it's time to deliver bad news to judy. she's got soot. >> soot cannot be cleaned. >> he says soot is trouble. fortunately he tells her, it's not hopeless. t t >> the other option you can take -- >> shawn says he has a chemical that will keep soot from blowing

around. it will go inside the duct system and seal everything. >> that's the good news. the bad news? >> so is that included in the $49.95? >> i apologize, but it's not. >> so you can't honor that? >> i can't do anything like that. >> he says he'll need to cut two holes or access panels like this one in her ducts to spray the chemicals and that will cost more than just $49. >> we have to make two actually access panels. >> so that's -- i can't read that -- $470? >> suddenly the $49 promo jumped to almost $500. >> as long as i get a guarantee. thank you very much. >> judy waits patiently up in the dining room while the men go to work. or to they go to work? downstairs in the basement, shawn doesn't look too busy. upstairs on the first floor, tim

first vacuums the vents then seals them so no debris or chemicals will blow through the hou house. how well did he do that job? take a look. at first it appears like it was snowing inside. then there was more. >> dust. >> our air duct expert was in our control room watching it all. instead of cleaning the air, they were actually blowing the dirt throughout the house. even around judy's head. >> they've just destroyed the environment in that house. >> after tim seals the vents, it's time to spray what shawn called the soot sealant into the system. shawn does spray something into a hole he made in the air duct. he may not be taking the job that seriously, filling up the hole but the air around him with noxious fumes. that's when judy gets curious and heads downstairs. >> oh, goodness gracious. what is that? >> a little strong. >> yes, it is.

why am i coughing? >> basically, you have stuff in your lungs that's probably not too healthy. i bet you feel like you want to hack something up. >> she pays almost $500 and the job is done. but did she at least get what she was promised? remember, shawn told judy he needed to make two access panels to add the chemicals, but watch this. he did make that first hole. as for the second, all he does is attach a metal plate to the duct. there's no hole. he's just trying to make it look like there's one. and what about the chemical that was supposed to go inside the air ducts? well, it may be seeping all through the house. the technicians were supposed to seal judy's vents, but take a look. maybe they didn't use enough tape. and how cloean are the ducts, themselv themselves, for all that money? remember, these were her air ducts before. these were the same ducts after they left. no difference. >> this woman in my opinion just

got jacked. it was amazing how unscrupulous some people can actually be. >> a few weeks later we asked judy to make another appointment. this time to clean her furnace. this time i was there. shawn shows up again. this time with a different partner. i head to the basement. how are you doing? at first they thought i was a friend of judy's. i asked them about the work like this access panel they cut so they could spray the chemical sealant into the system. do you cut a hole? >> i believe there's an eight-inch hole behind this as well as over here. >> you can actually get up in there and look. >> correct. >> will you show me? >> sure. >> tends to be surprised no one actually cut a hole. >> looks like there is no access panel there. >> why would there be no access panel? >> i don't know. run out in my truck and grab the cell phone out of the little console? would you have been the one? >> that would not be me. >> what he doesn't kn we

have him an hidden camera covering the hole that isn't there. it's time to tell shawn who i am. you need to know something, shawn. i'm chris hansen with dateline nbc. >> okay. >> and we're doing a story on how some companies allegedly rip off customers. >> okay. >> and you need to know that there was a camera over there and there's a camera over there. >> okay. >> while you were doing the work last week. i'd like to show you some of the video. i have it set up. >> i showed video of dust flying around judy's head. what is this flying around here? this is during the last visit. see the dust flying around? >> uh-huh. >> what is that? >> looks like it may be some dust. >> some dust. and why would that be flying around the house? that's when shawn begins to make his exit. >> shawn, i want to show you one thing. shawn goes outside and calls the office and returns once more. >> all right. first of all -- really do not

want to be on camera if that's not a problem. permission to film me -- >> we don't need it. he goes inside to speak to judy. >> my office says to apologize. >> your office says to apologize? >> apologize for the situation. >> what do you mean by the situation? >> excuse me, sir, i'm talking. >> here's a woman on a fixed income. >> we'll go ahead -- >> the promise was $49.95. you came in here, you upsold her to around $500 and said for there are 200 more we can do this other -- how does that happen? >> she's the one that called us, sir. >> the duct masters of hebron, kentucky, we observed is not affiliated with other honest companies around the country who may go under the same they name. michelle basin of the better business bureau says the rip-off we saw is similar to scams happening all around the country. perpetrated by other companies who operate under various names. is every state affected by this? >> well, we know of at least 20

states -- >> 20 states? >> -- that we can track them to. there's a good chance there's more. >> she says the air duct companies set up shop in a city only to take off when the heat is on. in fact, just days after i went to judy's house, duct masters shut down. the national air duct cleaners association wants you to know there are many reputable companies like this one. who they referred us to to properly clean judy's air ducts. remember, this is what they looked like before. and here they are after a proper cleaning. which cost us $360. so what does buck shepard think of judy's experience with the company that scammed her? duct masters? let's just say he left his initials in the dust. >> the job they just did was nothing but bs. >> once again, we want to make itea