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Driveway Sealcoating Scammer

Posted: Aug 09, 2015 11:45 AM EDT
Updated: Aug 23, 2012 11:48 AM EDT

FRANKFORD, Del. - Delaware State Police are seeking the public's help to identify a man who they say offered to seal coat an elderly woman's driveway, followed her to the bank, then took off with the cash.

The defrauding happened last month on the 30000 block of Pyle Center Road, in Frankford, state police said.

It was July 19 when the man knocked on the woman's door and offered to seal coat her driveway. The 80-year-old woman initially refused but eventually agreed to let him do the work.

When the man said he'd need money up front to start the job, the woman drove to a bank in Millville, where she withdrew an undisclosed amount of cash.

According to state police, the man followed the victim and, when she exited with the cash, he took it out of her hand and fled in a white pickup truck.

The suspect was described as being white, 30- to 35-years-old, at least 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing between 150 and 200 pounds. He was wearing an orange T-shirt and blue jeans, and he had tattoos on both arms as well as the back of his neck.

Police said he's possibly operating a two-tone white and tan Ford pickup truck.

Anyone who has any information on the suspect is asked to contact Troop 4 at 302-856-5850 ext. 386 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com. You can also send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
 

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July 7, 2012

Driveway scam nearly worked

Woman able to cancel check in time

By Joanne Arbogast
The Daily Item

LAURELTON — With the summer home improvement season under way, last month we warned residents, especially seniors, about people coming to the door unsolicited offering contracting services such as painting your house or repairing your roof or driveway at a price “too good to be true.”

Con artists, usually working in pairs, will not only use high-pressure sales tactics in their sales pitches but may also use this cover to gain entry into your house to case the premises.

They may also talk you into a deal, take your money up front and never deliver what they promised.

Linda, who works in the governor’s office in Harrisburg, lives off the beaten track near Laurelton with her 76-year-old husband who is a veteran and hard of hearing. “We’re isolated,” she said, adding that they don’t get drop-in visitors.

Last week, around 10 a.m. while she was at work, two men came to the door. They had arrived in two trucks with Maryland license plates, and made an offer to her husband to put sealant down on their 90-foot rough drive for $1.75 a foot. Her husband gave them the go-ahead to do the job, though he had been given no final cost of the project or a contract to sign.

For more details, see Sunday’s edition of The Daily Item.

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Driveway repair scammers working in Douglas County

By 6News Staff on November 14, 2011

 

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson wants county resident to be aware that driveway repair
scammers are currently working in the area. The men have already scammed one Douglas County resident out of $1,500. The scammers are said to be driving a 2000 or newer, white, one ton, General Motors brand, extended cab pickup truck with Illinois plates. Victims of these scams are encouraged to contact Law Enforcement to make a police report, and also contact the D.A's Consumer Protection Unit. If these men show up at your home, individuals are being told to call 911.

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Action 9: Woman gets sloppy asphalt driveway installed
Posted: 11:32 am EDT September 28, 2011

Bill and Elaine Knight gave away the last of their savings, $4,500, to a contractor who knocked on their door promising a good deal to pave their driveway with asphalt. But after the paving, Elaine said she can poke holes in it with her cane. “Anywhere you push on it, you’re going to get the gravel. The pavement is going to come up,” she said. “I mean, it’s terrible,” said her husband, Bill. The driveway is a nothing but a mix of crushed asphalt, loose rocks and dirt sprayed with a black sealant. Knight has tried unsuccessfully to get the contractor, Matt Sherlock, to fix the work. Now she said he doesn't even answer his phone anymore. “We left messages and he never called us back,” she said. But Knight isn't the only victim. Another driveway nearby that Sherlock was paid to pave appears also shoddy. After hearing complaints from homeowners, Carolina Paving, the Hickory company supplying Sherlock with crushed asphalt, has cut him off.
"I hate that it took as long as it did to find out about it because it’s costing people money,” said Carolina Paving manager Justin Johnson. Action 9 checked with the Better Business Bureau, and the same Matt Sherlock showed up under the heading "Irish Travelers.”
That's a band of traveling contractors from Ohio with a 20-year record of ripping off homeowners.
Knight warns others if he shows up at your door, learn from her and don't do business with him.

"It’s a scam. They were con men,” Knight said.
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Be on the watch for paving scams
Written by Press Release
Friday, 02 July 2010 13:25
With warmer weather comes the urge to tackle those home improvement projects. And while reputable contracting companies are the rule not the exception, the Missouri Department of Transportation is reminding residents to be on the lookout for traveling dealers pitching driveway paving offers that are too good to be true.

Specifically, the department says to be wary of paving companies that approach your home claiming to have extra asphalt left over from a job and offering to pave your driveway. Workmanship can be poor and the costs can be much higher than what was originally quoted.
The Better Business Bureau recommends the following steps to protect yourself against less than reputable paving companies:
• Ask for local references and verify that the contractor is in compliance with local licensing, bonding and insuring requirements.
• Ask for identification and make a note of the license plate number on the contractor’s vehicle.
• Solicit two or three bids for the work you are planning, but don't automatically accept the lowest.
• Make sure all bids are based on the same materials.
• Read all agreements and guarantees before signing.
• Make sure you understand all terms and conditions.
• Never sign a contract with sections left blank.
• Do not pay for work in advance. Pay by check when the work is completed to your satisfaction.
You can contact the Better Business Bureau with any complaints by visiting http://www.bbb.org/. Consumers can also verify the status of a contractor with the Department of Consumer Protection at 800-842-2649.
For additional information regarding this or other transportation-related topics, call MoDOT toll free at 1-888-ASK MoDOT (275-6636). Transportation information is also available online at www.modot.org.
 

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Driveway Deal or Summertime Scam?
June 27, 2010

Summertime scams hit snow-belt homeowners where they live.
Homeowners should look out for groups of traveling scam artists offering roof repair, driveway paving and sealing and other summertime home upkeep, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray warns.

"Known by law enforcement as 'travelers,' these professional thieves make their way through Ohio and other northern states in the summer months," Cordray said. "They offer to pave driveways or repair roofs for a very low price, but they intentionally deceive homeowners and do extremely shoddy work."

Travelers often target middle-class homeowners, especially those over 60. Travelers generally dress professionally, speak politely and drive well-maintained vehicles, giving homeowners the false impression that they are trustworthy.

In many cases, travelers lie to homeowners, telling them their driveway or roof needs to be repaired. They work quickly, paving a driveway in less than an hour. Later, the asphalt will crack or will fail to set properly, leaving the homeowner's driveway a gooey mess. Other times, travelers "seal" a driveway or roof with a useless mixture of diesel oil and paint that will wash off in the rain.

Weeks later, some travelers revisit their previous victims to offer phony follow-up repairs or more seal-coating. Again, the work is completely substandard, even if the victim does not realize it.

Homeowners can protect themselves by learning to recognize the signs of a traveler, including contractors who:

• Come to their door uninvited
• Notice a problem with their roof or driveway
• Say they have leftover materials
• Offer unbelievably low prices
• Accept cash or check only
• Promise an unconditional guarantee on the work
• Start work immediately
• Take only 30 minutes to an hour to finish the job

Consumers also should check a company's reputation with online review sites, their local consumer affairs office or their state's attorney general's office and the Better Business Bureau before paying any money.

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Police warn about possible driveway repair fraud

June 16, 2010

 

STAUNTON — Police are investigating possible fraudulent activities concerning two men claiming to be with a Strasburg driveway sealing company.

Officer Lisa Klein, a spokeswoman with the Staunton Police Department, said an elderly Staunton woman paid more than $10,000 within the past week to two men representing the “Repair-N-Seal" company.

Klein said work on the driveway was finished but the quality was “questionable” at best.
The men are reportedly using a white van. Klein said police could find no record of a “Repair-N-Seal” company in Strasburg.

Klein advised that if residents are approached about having their driveway sealed but are dubious, they should contact the Staunton Police Department at 332-3842.

“If you’re not sure they’re not 100 percent legit, call us,” Klein said.

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RI Woman 'Taken for a ride'

Scammers are looking to make a quick buck

Updated: Monday, 03 May 2010, 6:17 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 03 May 2010, 6:08 PM EDT

• Reported by: Susan Hogan

Beware of Paving Scams

05/03/10

Lynchburg, VA - A Campbell County woman says she was scammed out of 200 dollars by man who said he would pave her driveway. The homeowner says the contractor covered her driveway with hot tar, but it left a sticky mess. When she called to get a refund, the business owner was nowhere to be found.     

At the time she says she thought the business was legitimate because he had a contractor's vehicle and even handed her a bill. She says the worst part is there's little she can do about it now.

Oliver-"I called the better business bureau but he doesn't have a business so how do you file a claim. It's pretty much a robbery yah know." Police say if someone offers to do any contracting service you should do your research first. You can easily check up on contractors through the state board for contractors’ website.

Elderly Fall Prey to Driveway Scam

April 8, 2010

Jones County Sheriff's Department officials say there have been reports of several workers who are traveling throughout Jones County soliciting elderly homeowners to hire them for driveway repairs then hiking the charges once repairs are complete.
"The workers, believed to be from out of state, are charging inflated prices for poor quality work," Sheriff Alex Hodge said. "The 'soliciting workers' are offering to complete a sealing or resurfacing job for a low price then inflating the price several thousands of dollars when the job is allegedly complete, intimidating the elderly homeowners to pay for the job.

"If you do agree on a price and are then charged several thousands dollars more for the job without prior notice please get a vehicle description and contact the Sheriff's Department immediately before paying them."

To report suspected drug or criminal activities to the Jones County Sheriff's Department, call 425-3147 or leave tips online at www. jonesso.com. Crime tips also may be called in to Crime Stoppers at 428-7867.

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