Maplewood Police: Beware Of ‘Flim-Flam’ Repairman Scam

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood police are warning residents to be aware of a possible “flim-flam” scam involving an alleged repairman in a Home Depot truck.

According to the Maplewood Police Department, a Hilton Avenue resident reported that around 6 p.m. on Monday, a man in a Home Depot rental truck approached her husband and offered to fix a crack in their driveway for $50.

The man was in the company of a female and small child that he said were his family, the resident told police.

While the male suspect completed the work, the female and child asked to enter the home and use the restroom, police said.

After finishing the work – which the resident claimed “was not performed well” – the man asked for $750 instead of the agreed-on $50, police said.

Maplewood police issued the following statement about the incident:

“Please remember not to let anyone into your home that you do not know and not to use contractors that you are not familiar with. There is a Township Ordinance that prohibits solicitation without a permit. If you observe ‘workers’ you believe to be suspicious or that solicit without a permit please notify the police department so that they may investigate.”

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