Police Say Driveway Paving Scams On Rise In Dutchess

WASHINGTON, NY — Reports of driveway paving scams have been made to the state police in Dutchess County recently. With the warmer weather, contractors or people are out promising driveway paving and/or sealing work.

Typically, police said, this scam involves collecting money and never performing the work or workers showing up unexpectedly and starting work on a driveway without the consent of the homeowner and then demanding payment.

One specific tactic has the individuals showing up at the homeowner's door with "excess" asphalt from another job. They will then attempt to collect the payment upfront and never return or will perform substandard or incomplete work before leaving.

In the Verbank area of the Town of Washington, troopers made contact with several people who are known to have engaged in fraudulent activity including driveway scams in the past. Enforcement was limited to several vehicle and traffic law infractions, because no violations regarding fraud were detected.

Police said the message is intended as a warning to residents to be aware of potential dangers in our community.

Many of these scams specifically target the elderly, relying on confusion of whether the job was ordered or not. Typical of these scams are unsavory contractors who go door-to-door using shady tactics to charge exorbitant prices for substandard or small jobs, police said.

The people involved have usually had prior police interactions for these scams and have out-of-state phone numbers and addresses, both of which could be invalid.

The public should verify references and not pay any money before they are sure they are dealing with a reputable contractor. Reputable contractors rarely, if ever, sell their product door to door, police said. Additionally, professional asphalt contractors will know with great accuracy how much paving material is needed to complete a project.

When seeking a contractor for paving or sealing work, troopers recommend:

• Get written estimates and references when possible.
• Do not pay cash; obtain a signed contract.
• Talk to neighbors and relatives who’ve had similar work done.
• Use local contractors whenever possible and always ask for identification.
• Check out potential contractors on the Better Business Bureau website before agreeing to work.

Anyone who feels they may have been victimized recently, or believes there may be suspicious individuals in their neighborhood, please call Troop K Headquarters at 845-677-7300.

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