'It's everywhere,' warn cops over driveway scam after woman lost $6,000 – the key question to ask to protect your money | 1Y56ON2 | 2024-03-08 08:08:01
As winter begins to thaw away, the scammers come out of the woodwork.
SCAMMERS have devised a new method to rip-off householders from tons of to hundreds out of deposits for driveway repaving jobs.
As winter begins to thaw away, the scammers come out of the woodwork.
They usually're concentrating on householders that appear to wish work finished to the exterior of their homes, like driveways, walkways, and sidewalks.
AOL.com reported that Fairfax County police in Virginia have seen an inflow of scams reported by householders who fell sufferer to fraudulent quotes for driveway, walkway, or sidewalk jobs.
Someone will knock on the door, convincingly quote them a job, gather tons of or hundreds of dollars for a deposit, after which disappear shortly after starting the work.
"It's all over the place," stated Officer Daniel Goldman.
"[The scammers are] on the lookout for usually higher-end neighborhoods, but we're seeing it countywide."
In lots of instances, the home is left in worse condition than before.
Bedir Kamaran was unfortunately scammed out of $6,000 for a driveway and sidewalk job.
She paid $2,000 for the driveway and $four,000 for the walkway and entrance of her residence to be cleaned and patched.
With an unfinished exterior and the money gone, she issued a warning to other householders.
"I wish I by no means did it," she stated.
"My advice is, check it out. We didn't check it out."
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> To greatest shield towards scammers posing as contractors, there's a sure-fire option to get them off of your porch:
Ask for his or her contractor's enterprise license, as many states require contractors to have one.
If a driveway repaving or deep cleaning is on the horizon, it's clever to get multiple quotes from multiple contractors, as costs that appear too good to be true typically are.
Maintaining communication written, as in over e-mail or text, can shield you if things go legally sideways and a police report is needed.
Officers like Goldman also warn householders to take a step again and not give in to the strain to make an instantaneous choice and to research the contractor's identify before writing any checks or transferring cash.
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