Newmarket residents should be wary of fraudsters promising to pave their driveways, York Regional Police are warning.
Residents have reported losing thousands of dollars after paying to have their driveways paved, police said.
In most cases, the residents are outside when they are approached by someone or a group of people soliciting same-day work for cash. At least one of the suspects involved is a man with an Irish accent.
"The work being done is reportedly poor as the suspects do not remove old asphalt nor prepare the ground properly. When the job is only partially done, they often leave stating that they will return, but they don’t finish the job or clean up large messes left behind," according to the fraud warning issued today from the local force. "The suspects generally provide a higher quote for the paving job than what a professional paving company would quote."
The police fraud alert comes in the wake of a July 22 NewmarketToday story, in which Newmarket resident Pam Martin said she paid $3,400 to have her driveway re-done after she was approached by a man with an Irish accent while outside cutting her grass.
“It was stupid of us to actually, you know, let these people do it. We should have had people quote ... but he seemed like a nice person,” Martin told NewmarketToday.
She found herself left with a thin spongy layer of asphalt on her driveway and a massive pile of debris on her lawn, which she had to pay another company $350 to remove.
Martin said driving around the neighbourhood, she saw other Newmarket residents with similar piles on their lawn, suggesting they had fallen victim to the same situation.
Investigators believe there are more victims of what they called an "ongoing scam" and they are asking those people to come forward and report the incidents to police.
To avoid becoming a victim of the scam, you are warned to be cautious when accepting unsolicited services and always ask for references, do your own research, to ensure a company is legitimate and in good standing before agreeing to anything or paying.
Police warn that if you "see a deal that’s too good to be true, it probably is. If a situation feels suspicious, trust your instincts."
Anyone with information related to this is asked to contact York Regional Police #1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext.7141, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips, or leave an anonymous tip online.
