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Woman, neighborhood fall for scam
By Emily Hill, ehill@starlocalnews.com
In what could have been a disastrous ending, a Little Elm woman was able to salvage her funds from a "gypsy scam."
On March 14, the Denton County Sheriff's Office received a call from a woman from the 100 block of Oakwood Drive who reported fraud. When officers arrived, she said a man had stopped by her house saying he had extra asphalt he needed to get rid of. He suggested that he could pave a portion of her neighborhood.
The two agreed upon the price of $500 after the woman signed a waiver of what she believed to be relinquishing the man from responsibility if there were damages or someone getting hurt. The neighbors agreed to pitch in and help the woman with the cost.
The woman felt intimated and wrote the man a check. The next morning, she went to the Little Elm bank and cancelled it when she placed a call to the Sheriff's Office.
"That technique he used is associated as gypsy scams," said Tom Reedy, Sheriff's Office public information officer.
The Sheriff's Office checked the background of the man, who turned out to be a real paver that worked for a pavement company out of Houston. Reedy said this time of the year is common for scams like this one.
"These people come around and sell fast talk," Reedy said. "They go from one end of the country to the other."
The woman was able to come to a compromise with the man over the weekend. The man was not taken into custody and she is not pressing charges.
"[I believe] her reporting to the Sheriff's Office had something to do to reaching a compromise," Reedy said.
These scammers typically knock on the door at a residence and offer to fix up the home's roof or pave a driveway.
"They hammer a few shingles, [then] try to con them out of more money," Reedy said.
Reedy said they prey on older people who still have control over the finances, counting on intimidation to get the money they want. To avoid being scammed, Reedy suggested residents should try to do business with people they know or local established businesses.
"This one turned out okay. It was a good result, but still, it was a lot of trouble that could've been avoided," Reedy said.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
NCPHIF wrote on Apr 30, 2012 11:53 AM:
" As a nonprofit, it is our mission to educate homeowners on how to avoid becoming victims of contractor scams. Before you begin a home repair or home improvement project, please visit preventcontractorfraud.org for FREE and valuable information on how to deal with contractors. Don't become a victim!! "
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