Milltown Residents Report Paving Scams

MILLTOWN, NJ — Heads up: Milltown police say several residents are reporting paving scams, where people knock on your door or cold call you and offer to pave your driveway for a fee. However, after being paid, the "pavers" either don't come back to do the work, or they do a shoddy job.

"If they do show back up, the workmanship is way below industry standards," said Lt. Chris Johnson of Milltown police.

Milltown police said they've received numerous reports from residents of this happening in the first week of September. But paving scams have been reported all over suburban New Jersey and are not uncommon. If they're targeting homes in Milltown, they are likely in nearby towns, too.

"These folks drive around, looking for driveways and businesses with entrances in disrepair," said Lt. Johnson. "They say we just happened to be in your area and have some extra asphalt, and would you like the bottom of your driveway quickly repaved."

"These traveling paving scams have been going on for years. A lot of these folks come from Pennsylvania, New England and they come into New Jersey for the day and then they'll leave," he continued. "They are not licensed, they don't have permits. They are from way out of state and they just have family members or friends knocking on doors trying to get paving jobs."

Last year, an elderly Milltown resident lost over $10,000 in a driveway paving scam. Milltown police were able to identify the suspects and file a complaint in that case.

"Residents are warned to be extremely cautious when selecting a contractor to pave a driveway or parking lot. Each spring and summer, bands of con-artists, often referred to as traveling criminals or gypsy pavers, enter our state in order to scam unsuspecting homeowners and business people," said Bernards Twp. police. "They have been labeled gypsies or travelers primarily because they travel as families and groups and because of their nomadic ways. Their favorite targets are senior citizens."

And this is not just a problem in the summer: A lot of paving scams happen in the winter months, too, when legitimate paving businesses will not perform the work because the cold prevents the asphalt from setting correctly.

Anyone who is solicited by a traveling paving company should notify Milltown police at 732-828-1100. If anyone knocks on your door, ask to see their solictors' permit, which they must have by the town. Milltown police only give permits to companies that have provided fingerprint records.

Some of the asphalt paving scams warning signs are:

• Selling door-to-door: Reputable asphalt/seal coating contractors will sometimes offer their services if they are doing a legitimate job in the immediate area. Always ask for references.
• Claiming they have leftover asphalt or seal coating from another job: Professional asphalt contractors will know, with great accuracy, how much paving material is needed to complete a project. Rarely will they have leftover material. Some of the reasons a contractor might have leftover material are due to weather, equipment problems and cancellations.
• Push you to make a quick decision: Reputable contractors will provide a written estimate that will be valid for weeks or months. If the great deal they are offering you today is not available tomorrow or next week it may be a scam.
• No contract offered: Insist upon a written contract specifying in detail, the work to be performed and the agreed upon price.
• Cash only sales: Most reputable contractors take checks or credit cards and don't require cash-only terms.
• Deals that seem to be good to be true: If the quoted price seems very low, chances are the quality of the work will also be quite low.
• Unmarked truck: Often the trucks they travel in are unmarked or they have an out of town address and phone number. A little research will reveal that they have no permanent address and the phone number is often an answering machine or a cell phone number.