Woman Swindled Out of Life Savings Gets a Lovely Surprise

Waterford Township, MI — An elderly Waterford Township woman who was swindled out her life savings last month got unexpected gifts this week: a check from an anonymous Clarkston donor for $4,000, the amount she lost in the driveway-repair scam, and an offer by a legitimate contractor to do the work for free.

“She’s kind of overwhelmed with everything,” Waterford Police Detective Keith Zoltowski told The Detroit News. “She is very grateful and was very pleased with the generosity of people.”

On May 26, two men quoted a price of $58 to do the work after approaching the 86-year-old woman while she was in her yard, Waterford police said in a news release. They sprayed sealant on the driveway on the 100 block of Draper, then submitted the $4,000 bill with the explanation that the job had taken 78 gallons of sealant.

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She didn’t have much money, she told the men, and offered to pay them by credit card instead. They declined but said they’d drive her to her credit union, where she withdrew the funds.

The two men left the driveway in worse shape than they found it, prompting Farmington Hills-based Contractors Asphalt Paving to offer to tear out the driveway and replace it.

The good Samaritans stepped forward after police asked for the public’s help to track down the suspects, described as two possibly Hispanic men in their 40s and 50s. Anyone with information is asked to call Zoltowski at (248) 618-6126 — or, to remain anonymous, call the tip line at (248) 674-COPS.

Scams like this one are becoming more common, Zoltowski said.

“If you didn’t call an asphalt business to come give you a quote, you should be leery of people who approach you,” Zoltowski told The Detroit News. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”