An unlicensed contractor exposed by the Defenders in a sting operation defrauded an Olmos Park shop owner out of $800.

One by one, unlicensed contractors came by a Northside strip center to bid on projects: air conditioning, electrical work and electrical signs.

It was actually a sting set up by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to expose unlicensed contractors and warn the public.

Julie Ann Winkler unknowingly paid one of the busted contractors, Norberto Castrejon, for a sign she never received.

"He drew up the specs for us and we agreed on a schedule for fabricating the sign," Winkler said.

Winkler said she had an invoice from American Neon and Signs, but wrote a check out personally to Castrejon, for the $800 down payment. Then he disappeared.

"When we called that phone number for American Neon and Signs, it turns out it's not his company," Winkler said.

Castrejon had already cashed the check at a Money Box. After a quick Google search, Winkler saw he had already been exposed in the sting.

Castrejon told KSAT he is a sign guy, but doesn't do the electrical work. However, on hidden camera he said he could do it all.

"I'm a sign builder. I've been building signs for 48 years," Castrejon said.

Winkler got her new sign from a different company and had to pay a lawyer. She said it's a lesson for her and anyone else hiring a contractor.

To find out if certain contractors are licensed by the state you can log onto the TDLR's website at: tdlr.state.tx.ushttp://www.tdlr.state.tx.us/