The Paving Scammers

[other dog]

I've seen stories about scammers on the Lynchburg news several times, usually somebody offering to do some type of work real cheap, then they take your money for doing little or nothing- replacing shingles and paving driveways are two common ones. They have some material left over from the last job, you'd be doing them a favor if they could use the leftover asphalt to pave your driveway, just pay for the material used. They especially like to prey on the elderly.

I talked to my Mom on the phone last night- i've heard her say maybe half a dozen cuss words my whole life, and I think she doubled the total last night. The driveway paving con artist lowlifes got her and Daddy for $6600. She was hot too, and mad at herself for falling for it. They live in Cumberland county, closer to Richmond than Lynchburg. The paving company was out of Appomattox,Va.

They're both right around 80 years old, and it makes me so mad I could...well, never mind.

My son stopped by when the crooks were there. When the sheriff came later he asked him why didn't he run them off. He said "because there was like 9 of them and only one of me". He's been driving a dump truck for a long time, and worked on paving many miles of highways around Richmond, so he knows a lot about the paving binness, and he said they used about $300 worth of material on the driveway.

And they took Ma's check straight to the bank and cashed it, so she didn't have time to stop payment on it. She said the commonwealth's attorney in Cumberland said they didn't do anything illegal, but they lied to her from the start about what they were going to do and how much it would cost, so that's some kind of fraud, or doing business under false pretenses or something. And she said a young boy stopped there at first, and he was so nice and polite...i'd like to see his ass swinging off a bridge somewhere...by a rope attached to his neck.

[farmer52]

Sorry to hear this story. I hope your parents can recover the money. Too many people out there trying to scam others (especially older people). I would like to see several scammers at the end of a rope! And part of the problem is the legal beagles. The law will likely just "slap their hands".

What happened to honesty and doing a good job?

[Rich Reinhart]

Bad thing is they present it in such a way that when they are called on the carpet about it in a court of law, it`s tough to prosecute them..

[other dog]

She's already checked into it some, and apparently these people had already been run out of West Virginia for doing the same type of scam.

[Green Dash]

It takes a special breed of lowlife to not only prey on a fellow human being, but senior citizens. I hope this saga will end with justice being served to those scumbags.

[Superdog]

There's all kinda low life scammers out there.I got nailed for a little over $8000 last year by a scumbag crew from MO.They stopped by wanting to buy scrap,and I was wanting to get my other property cleaned up some.I'd checked with a couple local scrappers,as I didn't have time to do it myself and they pissed me off,so I thought I'd give these guys a chance.I gave them an area to haul off,they did a good job,got paid every day for what they hauled.So I kept giving them more to haul away,they started getting a little behind in paying,always had an excuse.The last day they were there,I got $500 from them,but they were going to get caught up the next week,they had brought up a couple more trailers and were going to work all weekend,they filled everything they had and bailed out that night and I never saw them again.The law said I couldn't prove anything against them,but I will get even someday,if I gotta turn MO upside down to find them.

[Vladislav]

Sad stories.

Scums are everywhere. Sometimes they are safely by a law.

There's a popular "business" overhere when somebody calls you by phone and said "Father (Mother), I'm deep in a trouble, I'm in police about drugs (car accident with death and so on) and I'm giving a call to a current policemen." That man starting to tell you all the seriousy of a situation and trying to plan a meet with you about money to get your child free. I have a son of young age so heared those stories couple of times playing a role of "father" than just falling them with true. Although my friend's grandmother keeped the call for some minutes with a mute when he recalled police and than talked to scumbs to visit her for a money. When they came they were too surprized being catched.

[Freightrain]

Same kinda scam here locally. News reports that you get a call saying your "xxx" was in an accident, but they are holding them hostage and you need to send money. One guy picked up his cell phone and called wifes cell and found her at work, okay. They have not been able to catch them yet.

They are getting ruthless.............

[alex g]

sad to hear those scam stories.I hope they all get theres in the end and if they do please tell us.I figure Superdog will find those guys some day you should be able to spot there equipment.It sucks when the honest people are shunned when looking at a truck or piece of equipment sitting around and the owners are leary of us.

[alex g]

I got to thinking about people being scammed and I remembered a couple of summers ago a guy who is married to a friend of my wifes stopped by.He has never been to my house before and obviousily will never be back. He makes his living hauling scrap I guess with his piece of shit pickup truck he said he had a oil furnace tank given to him and it was full he offerd me the oil out of it no charge.He told me if I didn't take it he was just going to pour it out on a back road. I guess in his wisdom he didn't realize the oil was worth alot more than the scrap value of the tank.He had about 20 gallons of oil in pails I poured it in my furnace and gave him $40 cash great deal for me he asked if I had any containers he would come back with the rest I gave him two 5 gallon fuel containers HE NEVER CAME BACK.I laugh about this now and I even see him from time to time he ignores me.I mentioned it to the guys at the scrap yard he deals with over a few beers one night they got a good laugh and mentioned a few stories of there own about him too.I know this is no wheres near the scale of rippoff others have endured but maybe will bring a laugh.Still living still learning

[other dog]

A scam is a scam, no matter how big or small. They're still taking advantage of other people, and it just burns me up that those a-holes took advantage of my parents. One thing about it, they might get away with it now, but they'll have to answer for it some day.

[refusegetter]

Who did your parents make the check out to? Maybe you can get to them that way

[2stacksuperdog]

They'll try to scam the wrong person some day!

[Apple dog]

Some scumbag tried to get my mom one day. Just as luck would have it I was there. The scam was she was the grand prize of $50,000 and needed her to send $300.00 to claim the prize. I got on the phone and told them to take the 300 out of the winnings and send the rest. They said that would not work and I told them that was how it was going to happen and they hung up. Glad I was home or they would have got 300 from mom.

[theakerstwo]

A scammer painter cheated mom a few years back and i think if my brother which missed him by a few min in town one day had got ahold on him he would be some wiser now.The house did not need painted any way but mom said she did it cause he needed a job.So my brothers took moms banking priveges away from her. They found out that she had been paying some of her bills two times ever month.But these samers are a low life breed just like some of the goverment leaders.

[1951 Mack LJ]

Well if it makes you feel any better.... I use to work for a local paving company. It had the only asphalt plant in town and sold the hot mix for around $80/ton. Some scabs were up here from the bigger cities doing the door-to-door scam of the extra mix left over and we will sell it to you at cost scam. Well they bought five loads of 16 tons each and drove around town trying there scam and after most the day driving around it finally got too cold to lay down so they brought it back and had to pay to dump it on our recycle pile. They lost over $7000 that day and their fuel and time.

[theakerstwo]

Well if it makes you feel any better.... I use to work for a local paving company. It had the only asphalt plant in town and sold the hot mix for around $80/ton. Some scabs were up here from the bigger cities doing the door-to-door scam of the extra mix left over and we will sell it to you at cost scam. Well they bought five loads of 16 tons each and drove around town trying there scam and after most the day driving around it finally got too cold to lay down so they brought it back and had to pay to dump it on our recycle pile. They lost over $7000 that day and their fuel and time.

Good

[vision386]

Sorry to hear about that Tom,i sure hate to hear about folks being taken advantage of,especially people that "are'nt made out of money" burns me up! if some of these assholes would put as much effort into doing a honest,good days work,as they do thinking of ways to rip people off,maybe they'd get somewhere in life! i sure hope your folks can get at least some of their money back,but likes been said here,the laws not on the side of honest,law abiding folks anymore,its the damn crooks,theives,drug dealers that have all the "rights".........................Mark

[rsb502]

I had one of those little paving companies get me for $2500 for hauling, sent a truck to em for two weeks and got paid at the end of the day every day, they called and said they had a big job to do and wanted to settle up at the end and since they were good with my money before I said ok, well the job got finished and they were gone back to Minnesota the day after with my money, if I ever see em here again I'll go get my money out of em one way or another.

[RowdyRebel]

...My son stopped by when the crooks were there. When the sheriff came later he asked him why didn't he run them off. He said "because there was like 9 of them and only one of me"....

"You need to leave. Now."

Problem solved.

[other dog]

Who did your parents make the check out to? Maybe you can get to them that way

I don't know if she made it out to the paving co. or to the individual. But they know who the guy is because he used a West Virginia ID to cash the check. That's how they found out he'd been in trouble in W.V. for doing the same type scam. She said she told him not to cash it until the next day but he went straight to the bank, so she didn't have time to stop payment on it.

What they don't know is whether the paving co. regularly screws people or whether these employees do this on their own. I looked the company up on the interweb and they had an office in Appomattox and in Lynchburg. She called the one in Appomattox and didn't get anywhere there- they offered to refund $1500 but wanted her to sign something saying that that would be the end of it. She didn't didn't go for that.

[other dog]

"You need to leave. Now."

gun_barrel_05_lg.jpg

Problem solved.

I'm out of likes, so I used the new "best answer" feature that Green Dash invented- but you got that right. I'm sure he wasn't packing any heat, but they've got some shotguns there.

[rsb502]

Nothin says get off my lawn like a .45 aimed at your forehead!

[randyp]

Long Long time ago, my grandmother got scammed, my dad tried to seek recourse through justice system, didnt work. All i knows is, bout a year later, scammer wound up in hospital with less teeth, less hair, (hair never grew back, hickory sticks will remove hair, permanently), several limb casts, nobody ever found ambusher,,,hmmm,,,case closed. randyp (you go dad!!!!) You Rock!!!!

[farmer52]

Long Long time ago, my grandmother got scammed, my dad tried to seek recourse through justice system, didnt work. All i knows is, bout a year later, scammer wound up in hospital with less teeth, less hair, (hair never grew back, hickory sticks will remove hair, permanently), several limb casts, nobody ever found ambusher,,,hmmm,,,case closed. randyp (you go dad!!!!) You Rock!!!!

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.