The City of Ansonia, through its Corporation Counsel, John Marini, advises residents to be on the lookout for scam artists passing themselves off as legitimate paving businesses.
The City has received reports of homeowners in the Hilltop area being solicited by individuals claiming to represent the “Interstate Paving” company. These individuals are claiming that “Interstate Paving” has recently performed paving work for the City of Ansonia and offering their services for private paving jobs.
Ansonia residents should be advised that “Interstate Paving” has never performed work for the City. Moreover, the uninvited solicitation of homeowners by a paving company is inherently suspicious and should raise red flags.
A common technique used by paving scam artists consists of the following ruse:
A scam artist will drive through a neighborhood looking for a driveway that stands out as one that could possibly be in need of repair. He will then stop, completely unsolicited, and approach the homeowner. He will claim that he has some material (asphalt) on his truck that is left over from another job that he can offer at a special reduced rate.
The City of Ansonia offers this advice: If you encounter anyone touting anything remotely similar to the above narrative, STOP…this is almost always a scam. Ask the individual to leave your property and do not enter into business negotiations with them.
Additional Paving Scam Techniques to be Cautious of:
- Scammers will often be vague about how much a job will actually cost. Always get a firm quote in writing detailing exactly what work is to be done complete with a mutually agreed upon price.
- Scammers will often ask the customer to pay in advance. Never pay anything until the job is done.
- Scammers are typically not concerned with quality work. There have been reports of driveways not being properly sloped away from the residence. The first time it rained, the water flowed into the carport or garage.
- In addition to paving, scammers also offer driveway sealing services. They often use watered down sealer that washes off the first time it rains.
- Out of state license plates on “company” vehicles should raise a red flag. The lack of a company name or logo being displayed on vehicles should also bring the legitimacy of the individual into question.
- Paving scammers often pressure people and bully them into agreeing to work being done or paying more than they are comfortable paying.
Interesting facts about Legitimate Paving Contractors:
- Legitimate paving contractors are typically so busy working that they don’t have time to conduct door to door solicitation.
- Legitimate paving contractors will give free written estimates.
- Legitimate paving contractors will have the appropriate business licenses readily available for review.
- Legitimate paving contractors will happily offer references for a client to check prior to accepting a contract.
