Elderly Man With Dementia Tricked by Seal Coating Scammers

PALOS PARK, IL -- A Palos Park man suffering from Alzheimer’s may have been tricked by a common scam that surfaces during warm weather months. Police are following up on a delayed report of the a driveway sealcoating scam, in which suspects approach mostly elderly homeowners and offer to apply a protective coating on the homeowner’s driveway.

The scam works like this: the scammer approaches the homeowner with a claim of leftover coating material, usually in the bed of a pick-up truck. The scammer contracts to seal the homeowner’s driving. Once the homeowner pays for the job the scammer sprays a cheap oily materials on the driveway and leaves.

According to police, the elderly homeowner paid the scammer $500. The matter has been assigned to a Palos Park investigator assigned to the Illinois State Police Ruse Burglary Task Force. Police advise residents not to respond to door-to-door solicitors.

“If you need your driveway seal coated, you make the contact,” said Chief Joe Miller of the Palos Park Police Department. “Rely on friends and relatives for recommendations and referrals.”

Call the Palos Park Building Department or your local municipality for a list of licensed contractions. Urge elderly family members and neighbors to insist on only hiring a professional drive and seal coating company, Miller said.

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