Paving Scam

Nothing in life is free, including leftover asphalt.

Who Is It Targeting: Homeowners

What Is It: Bait and switch scam involving free repairs

What Are They After: Door-to-door paving crews are a real problem, but the work they do might not be as genuine. In this common scam, a crew knocks on your door and offers to pave your driveway for free or a heavily reduced price. They claim to have leftover materials from a paid contracting job, and therefore you won’t have to pay for any materials.

If you do agree to let them pave your driveway, there are several possible outcomes. The least of your worries is shoddy workmanship. After all, if they were really getting paid just a few pennies on the dollar, why would they go above and beyond to produce a quality job? More likely, you pay the fee upfront and they simply leave, or the common bait-and-switch in which their vague promises of some kind of reasonable fee are suddenly tripled once the work is done.

How Can You Avoid It:

• First of all, paying these crews to use someone else’s “bought and paid for” asphalt would be akin to theft on your part unless the owner is aware of it.
• Never pay upfront for work that a door-to-door individual offers.
• Always get your estimates in writing with a valid signature, and make sure to get a dated receipt for your payment.

Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from LocalNews8.com.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530.