More victims come forward after report of man accused of scamming homeowners

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — More victims are coming forward after a report about one man, who police said is accused of scamming homeowners out of hundreds of dollars in Westfield.

28-year-old Joshua Ziko is facing several charges, including theft and fraud. Court records show he has since bonded out of the Hamilton County Jail.

24-Hour News 8 tried tracking him down and went to his last known address, but no one came to the door.

24-Hour News 8 has talked to five different victims since Wednesday. One woman said she’s in the process of helping her dad file a report.

The woman did not want to show her face on camera or give her last name. Gina said it was just last December when two men showed up to her dad’s house looking for work. One of the men identified themselves as Joshua Ziko.

“A couple of friends actually late last night saw the story and sent me the link and screenshots and everybody recognized his name,” she said.

Gina said the men did some driveway work years ago for her 78-year-old dad. This time he said no, but invited them in to talk about something else.

“They went into the house to look at some aquarium and stuff like that,” she said. “They stole his checks.”

Gina believes someone forged her dad’s signature and tried cashing a $1,500 check at the bank. She said her dad tried filing a report in Indianapolis.

“My dad tried and when an investigator from IMPD called him back they said they couldn’t do anything,” she said.

Westfield police said they received six reports in their jurisdiction since last May involving the same man. Court documents show the victims all had similar incidents.

“You feel so ridiculous because you know better not to pay somebody before the work is completed,” said Melissa Meeks, victim.

Meeks said Ziko began work on her driveway, but never finish.  She said he took her deposit. She said he told her he had to check on his crew, and never returned.

“I knew when his eyes lit up, when he had the cash, you know this is not a good sign,” she said. “His eyes lit up and went next door. There was nobody next door because I went and checked. He was off to the bank.”

Police said if you think you’re a victim you can call your local police department to file a report.

Ziko is scheduled for a hearing on January 18.

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