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Driveway Salesman
Updated: Monday, 02 Nov 2009, 6:58 PM EST
Published : Monday, 02 Nov 2009, 6:58 PM EST
HAMPTON, Va. - Joy Hopkins says she was in her home
like any other day when she got a knock at her door
from a man she says was a real charmer.
"He talked about God, he was a Christian. All he
needed was a bible in his hand, she said."
It wasn't a bible he had, but rather a bag of
concrete. Richard Smith, the so-called smooth
talker, told Hopkins he had extra concrete in his
truck from a previous job and could fix her driveway
for $450. She thought it was a good deal and took
him up on his offer.
"He took this bag of concrete off the truck and this
white stuff and spread it all over the driveway and
this girl put water all over it," she said.
He promised to come back days later to complete the
job, but never showed.
10 On Your Side investigated a Richard Smith jut six
months ago. Police arrested him for allegedly
conning a woman out of more than 1000 dollars.
He was charged with obtaining money under false
pretenses. The phone number we had for Smith months
ago is the same phone number he gave to Joy.
What happened to Joy in her neighborhood could
happen to you in yours. What seems to be a great
deal could end up costing you a truckload.
Police tell 10 On Your Side:
* Never Pay for services up front
* Verify the Company has a business License
* Don't be pressured into signing a contract
* Obtain a license number
Use your instincts. If something doesn't seem right
and a deal sounds too good to be true, It probably
isn't.
It's advice Joy wishes she would have taken before
she dished out the cash. When Smith didn't return,
Joy tried repeatedly to track him down.
She told 10 On Your Side, that she tried all of the
numbers and could never get in touch with him.
10 On Your Side also tried to contact the Paving
company. We just got recordings too.
"I don't want him to get someone else like he got
me", she said.
10 On Your Side checked and Richard Smith with C and
R Paving doesn't have a business license in Hampton.
And, the Board Of Contractors doesn't
have a license under C and R paving.
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By
Kristin Davis
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 28, 2009
CHESAPEAKE
Police are looking for the man they say cheated a
70-year-old Chesapeake widow out of $1,500 by promising
a new driveway but delivering only rocks.
They have secured warrants against Michael Brandon
Newell, 21, of the 2600 block of Holland Road in
Suffolk, charging him with two felony counts of
obtaining money under false pretenses, said Chesapeake
police spokeswoman Dorienne Boykin.
Police say he also agreed to fix a driveway for
another Chesapeake woman, in the 4200 block of Nina
Drive, on June 14. She paid $450 for the work.
The incident involving Chesapeake widow Frances
Ousaklidis occurred Friday on Fontana Court. Living on
Social Security with virtually no savings, Ousaklidis
withdrew the money to pay the man for a new driveway on
a credit account at her bank because the price sounded
like a bargain, she said.
After a story about it in The Virginian-Pilot, at
least half a dozen companies volunteered to fix
Ousaklidis' driveway at no charge. Titan America in
Norfolk began work at her home Wednesday, and Greco
Concrete Construction in Virginia Beach gave her a check
for $1,500.
Police had not arrested Newell as of Thursday night.
He is scheduled for arraignment in Suffolk Circuit Court
this morning on an unrelated charge of obtaining
prescription by fraud, according to court records.
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- Published: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Man, brother charged in paving
scam
By ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer
Only nine days after Nashua police charged Joseph
C. Stanley with swindling two elderly residents in a
driveway paving scam, the 19-year-old was allegedly
caught in Connecticut pulling the same ruse with his
brother.
Earlier this month in Monroe, Conn., Stanley and his
20-year-old brother, Thomas A. Stanley, were charged
with paving driveways without proper documentation and
failing to follow business protocol.
An off-duty Stratford, Conn., police officer spotted the
Stanleys and Merrimack resident Wallace J. Wilson
driving a dump truck in Monroe on July 9, police charge.
The officer noticed the Peterbilt truck matched the
description of a vehicle at the center of an
investigation by his department, police charge.
Monroe police officers later found the dump truck and a
Ford pickup outside a home and caught the Stanleys and
46-year-old Wilson paving a driveway, police said. The
officers also saw a freshly paved driveway next-door,
police said.
Joseph C. Stanley gave Monroe police a Londonderry
address of 2 Devonshire Lane, which differs from the
Nashua address of 32 Yarmouth Drive he gave to Nashua
police after his June 30 arrest.
Joseph C. Stanley and Thomas A. Stanley are no longer in
custody after each posted $75,000 bail, Monroe police
Lt. Brian McCauley said. Wilson, of 8 Gail Road in
Merrimack, is still being held on $25,000 bail, he
said.Joseph C. Stanley is slated to appear in Nashua
District Court this morning on felony theft by deception
charges.
Nashua police allege that last month, Stanley paved the
driveway of a 94-year-old woman without her consent and
drove her to the bank, where she withdrew $3,000 for the
job because she felt pressured. And an 84-year-old man
was pressured into giving Stanley $3,900 for a driveway
job after they had agreed on a $300 payment, police
said.
The Stanleys and Wilson allegedly used the same tactic
in Connecticut that Joseph C. Stanley is charged with
employing in Nashua: telling people he had spare asphalt
from a paving job nearby and could tar their driveways
for a low price.
The Stanleys and Wilson performed substandard jobs on
driveways in Monroe or didn't finish some jobs, McCauley
said. They accepted cash for these jobs and broke the
law by lacking state home improvement licenses and trade
name certificates and failing to provide customers with
necessary cancellation notices and related paperwork, he
said.
Police in the nearby Connecticut towns of Stratford,
Manchester and Shelton are investigating similar scams
by the Stanleys and Wilson, McCauley said.
"Unfortunately, in this day and age it happens,"
McCauley said. "If it sounds too good to be true, it
is."
Nashua police Capt. Scott Howe said his department is
investigating residents' complaints of similar paving
scams involving Joseph C. Stanley and individuals with
the Stanley family name or company names used in other
ruses.
Joseph C. Stanley is associated with at least one local
paving firm, CVS Paving, court records show. But there
are at least 20 paving companies in New Hampshire that
carry the name Stanley or are owned by people of that
name. Stanley listed Stanley Paving as his employer in a
Nashua police booking report, even though court records
show he is associated with CVS Paving.
If Stanley lives at Yarmouth Drive, as he told Nashua
police, he shares a residence with Cornelius V. Stanley,
owner of CVS Paving. He listed his father as "Neil
Stanley" with police, but it's unclear whether he and
Cornelius V. Stanley are related, or if "Neil" is short
for "Cornelius."
Thomas A. Stanley gave Monroe police an address of 58
Route 125, in Kingston. Public records show that
Cornelius V. Stanley once had that address.
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- Auburn Police issue asphalt
sealing-paving scam consumer alert
- 7-24-09
AUBURN - The City of Auburn Police Department would like
to alert area residents concerning a group of individuals
soliciting homeowners to do asphalt paving and driveway
sealing.
The police were alerted by a local bank employee and
advised that an elderly customer of the bank came into the
bank and withdrew a large sum of money.
After the bank employee inquired about the withdrawal the
customer stated it was for a driveway repair she was having
done at her home. The money was withdrawn but the bank
employee was still suspicious and followed the customer
outside where the customer was met outside by two awaiting
men.
The bank employee wrote down the vehicle license plate
and vehicle description and then reported the incident to
Auburn Police to further investigate.
When Auburn Police Officers interviewed the elderly woman
she told officers she was solicited at her home by an
individual concerning repair to her driveway.
The elderly woman ultimately agreed to have the work done
to her driveway but paid over $5,000 for the work. It was
reported that the group of men were at the home for less
than an hour and did not perform the work as described on
the work order.
Auburn Police Detective Christopher McLoughlin tracked
down the men who operate under the name “Cooper Seal Coating
and Asphalt Repair.” Officers were able to recover all of
the money and assisted the elderly woman in re-depositing
her money back into her account.
The men were advised that their tactics were illegal and
they were not to continue business in the City of Auburn
without the proper permits established by City and the State
of New York.
The Auburn Police Department has learned that this group
has also conducted such business practices in the City of
Geneva using the same method of operation. The Auburn
Police Department would like to remind citizens to only hire
an established local company that has a reputation of being
credible and trustworthy.
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Four Arrested in Alleged Scam, Attack
Targeting Elderly Man
Stafford County Sheriff's Office
July 21,2009
STAFFORD, Va. - Authorities say an 89-year-old man
survived an alleged scam and assault after police say four
Stafford County men tried to take his money.
All four men are reportedly under arrest Tuesday night and
police are wondering if there could be more victims.
The neighbors know what happened -- especially those who
have lived near Hope Road for a long time. Their elderly
friend fought off men who tried to take his money.
"One was talking to him while the other ones were in his
house doing what they need to do.... whatever they were
after money or whatever they could get a hold of," said
Bennie Lester, a neighbor.
Stafford County deputies say the men faced the barrel of the
man's gun after they allegedly forced their way into his
home and began to attack him.
"He ended up on the floor. He was able to get the gun from
underneath the mattress and then he brandished the firearm,
pointed it at them and at that point they began to taunt
him," said Major David Decatur of the Stafford County
Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say the victim was approached last week by the
men who traveled in a red pickup truck. They reportedly said
they'd been there before to reseal his asphalt driveway and
offered to do it again at a discount rate of $2,000 if he
paid in cash.
The victim did and when his family found out and believed
he'd been scammed, they filed a report at the sheriff's
office. The next day, deputies say they received a 911 call
for help from the man who said the men had returned and were
ransacking his house.
That's when, authorities say, the homeowner pulled a gun on
them. The alleged scam artists left but deputies caught up
with them a few miles away and arrested all four.
 |
2008 Chevy Silverado Truck - Tennessee License Plate
# 809QRB
--Stafford County Sheriff's Office |
"It is scary -- now we'll watch out for more closely," said
Mary Lester, a neighbor.
Shirley Gibson says her driveway was resealed last month but
she was careful who did the work. "We haven't had anybody
stop and try to take our [money]," she said.
Anyone with information about the suspects or the crime is asked to
call the Stafford Sheriff's Office at 540-658-4400.
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Auburn Police issue asphalt sealing-paving scam consumer
alert
AUBURN - The City of Auburn Police Department would like
to alert area residents concerning a group of individuals
soliciting homeowners to do asphalt paving and driveway
sealing.
The police were alerted by a local bank employee and
advised that an elderly customer of the bank came into the
bank and withdrew a large sum of money.
After the bank employee inquired about the withdrawal the
customer stated it was for a driveway repair she was having
done at her home. The money was withdrawn but the bank
employee was still suspicious and followed the customer
outside where the customer was met outside by two awaiting
men.
The bank employee wrote down the vehicle license plate
and vehicle description and then reported the incident to
Auburn Police to further investigate.
When Auburn Police Officers interviewed the elderly woman
she told officers she was solicited at her home by an
individual concerning repair to her driveway.
The elderly woman ultimately agreed to have the work done
to her driveway but paid over $5,000 for the work. It was
reported that the group of men were at the home for less
than an hour and did not perform the work as described on
the work order.
Auburn Police Detective Christopher McLoughlin tracked
down the men who operate under the name “Cooper Seal Coating
and Asphalt Repair.” Officers were able to recover all of
the money and assisted the elderly woman in re-depositing
her money back into her account.
The men were advised that their tactics were illegal and
they were not to continue business in the City of Auburn
without the proper permits established by City and the State
of New York.
The Auburn Police Department has learned that this group
has also conducted such business practices in the City of
Geneva using the same method of operation. The Auburn
Police Department would like to remind citizens to only hire
an established local company that has a reputation of being
credible and trustworthy.
- Published: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
- Police: Teen scams seniors over paving
- Elderly pair hit for $7,500 on
driveway repairs
By ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer
NASHUA – An 18-year-old stole
$7,500 from two elderly residents, deceiving them with a
driveway paving scam, police said.
Joseph Stanley, who has a last known address of 32 Yarmouth
Drive, faces a felony charge of theft by deception, and is
wanted by police after scamming the two elderly people this
month, police said.
Not only did Stanley trick the residents, but he performed
shoddy work on their driveways – including paving a
94-year-old woman's garage door shut, police said.
Stanley first targeted an 84-year-old man at his home June
23, police said. Stanley told the man that his work crew had
extra asphalt and they could repair potholes in the man's
driveway, police said. The man agreed only to pothole repair
for $100, police said.
But Stanley and his crew paved the entire driveway and
demanded $4,500 to be paid immediately, police said. The
84-year-old man felt intimidated by the number of people on
his property and knowing that he was being taken advantage
of, asked Stanley that a bill be sent instead, police said.
Stanley still demanded payment and lowered the bill to
$3,900, police said. He drove the man to a bank, where a
cash payment was made, police said.
The man asked Stanley to sign a contract for the work, and
Stanley listed "Driveways Co." on the paperwork, police
said.
Nashua police viewed the driveway, and found the work to be
of poor quality. Asphalt was laid over existing driveway and
stepped on, police said.
Stanley pulled a similar scam two days later, police said.
Again, Stanley told this victim, the 94-year-old woman, that
his crew had extra asphalt after completing a nearby job,
police said. Stanley said he would pave her driveway for
$3,000, which he called a "great offer" that the woman
shouldn't tell anyone about, police said.
The woman refused, but Stanley and his crew – with a truck
labeled "Dunn Right Paving" – paved the driveway
nonetheless, police said. He then demanded $3,000, police
said.
The woman told Stanley she didn't have the money, but he
drove her to a local bank, police said. Once there, the
woman took a $3,000 cash advance on a credit card, police
said.
She told police she gave Stanley the money because she felt
intimidated. The woman was unable to contact a family member
for guidance, police said.
Stanley had the woman sign a contract but didn't provide her
with a copy, she told police.
Nashua police also checked the work at the woman's home, and
found that asphalt wasn't rolled but rather stepped on by
Stanley's crew, police said.
Asphalt was placed over the existing driveway and up against
the woman's garage door, causing the door to be jammed shut,
police said. Police detectives chipped away at the asphalt
so the door could open again, police said.
Police have a warrant for Stanley's arrest. Anyone with
information on the case is encouraged to call Nashua police
at 594-3500.
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- ‘Contractors' Prey On Vulnerable
Consumers
Posted 2009-06-23 By Pete DeLea
ELKTON - Last August, 85-year-old David Comer heard a
knock at the door of his Elkton home. When he answered, he
was greeted by name by a man claiming to be a legitimate
contractor offering to seal his paved driveway.
-
- "Your driveway is in bad shape and it
might need a coat," Comer recalled the man saying while
standing at his Monger Hill Road home. Comer told the man he
couldn't afford to pay for the job. But the man, later
identified as Shawn Matthew Cherry of Strasburg, wouldn't
take no for an answer.
-
- "He said, ‘I'll give you a good deal and
a first-class job,'" said Comer, who added the man told him
he would charge $1 a foot and give him the total after the
job was done. Thinking he had no choice, Comer said he
agreed. Fifteen minutes later, Cherry returned to the door
with three other men. He demanded almost $2,000 for the job
- a project prosecutors later claimed wasn't just way
overpriced and shoddy, but also damaged the siding on
Comer's garage. From previous jobs, Comer knew it cost too
much.
-
- "When he hit us with that bill, I said,
‘Are you kidding me?'" he said. But Cherry and his crew
weren't joking. Comer said he saw no alternative but to pay
them. "They were just standing there like hound dogs staring
at a bone," he said, adding that they had cashed the check
within 30 minutes of leaving his home. With summer
approaching and reports of similar incidents popping up,
Comer and his 80-year-old wife, Clara, say they don't want
to see others taken as they were.
- "It gives you a sour taste," Comer said.
"I hope our experience will help someone else."
Cracking Down Over the past few weeks, police around the
Valley have seen a spike in reports of would-be contractors
whose high-pressure tactics often target the elderly. Sgt. Felicia Glick of the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office
said residents should be wary if a handyman shows up at
their doors.
-
- "Local professional pavers don't go door
to door," said Glick, adding that residents should call
police if the visitor refuses to leave. "People need to keep
that in mind." Rockingham County Assistant Commonwealth's
Attorney Correy Smith said the office is taking cases such
as the Comers' seriously.
- "They're preying on older people," Smith
said. "The victims I've had were in their 70s and 80s." In
May, Smith prosecuted Cherry, who pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor for operating without a contractor's license. He
received a year of suspended jail time and was ordered to
repay the Comers, although they say they've yet to receive a
penny. Smith, who said he received three calls Friday about
alleged scams, said consumers must stand their ground when
confronted with a high-pressure sales pitch.
-
- "They're kind of pushy about it," he
said. "One of the phrases that kept coming up [during
interviews with victims] was, ‘They weren't going to take no
for an answer.'" Heavy Price Tag Such tactics hurt more than
just the folks who receive a bad paving or roofing job.
Local contractors say they're also getting a bad reputation.
"It makes it look bad on all of us," said Matt Pettit, owner
of Pettit's Pavement, which serves Page and Rockingham
counties.
-
- "They're using products that aren't
sealing and charging them an outrageous price. It's doing
more harm to their driveways than it's doing any good."
Earlier this year, Smith contacted Pettit about testifying
on standard prices if any cases go to trial. Pettit, who has
been in business in the area for about 20 years, said a job
like the Comers' - roughly a 50-square-foot driveway - would
probably run about $250. A simple driveway would never run
into the thousands. If you're getting into thousands of
dollars it would be a parking lot," he said.
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- Beware of Driveway Scams
Mary Jo Denton Herald-Citizen Staff Monday, Jun 22, 2009
COOKEVILLE, TN -- They promise to seal your driveway,
but first they need some money to buy the materials. You
pay, but they never show up again, and the phone numbers
they have left you turn out to be fake.
- That's the latest twist on the old
driveway work scam that is being pulled on Cookevillians
right now, police say. Detectives say they have two suspects,
a man and a woman, in at least two cases.
- Officer Brian Long took a report on June
17 at a residence on Georgetown Road. The victim, a man,
told the officer that on June 14 a young man had stopped by
his house and asked "if he could seal his driveway." "He
said he had done some work for this man's neighbor and would
do the job for $750. Then, the next day, he returned and
said the materials cost too much and asked for money to buy
the materials."
- The young man asked him to write a $250
check and make it out to his girlfriend, and the victim
complied, the officer said. By June 17, the victim still had
not seen the young man again, so he called police. The phone
number the man had left with the victim was answered by
someone who did not know the young man or his girlfriend,
but someone had already cashed his check, the victim told
the officer.
- Then the victim checked with his neighbor
for whom the young man had done work in the past, obtained
another phone number that neighbor had, and soon learned the
person answering that number did not know either of the
two. In another case, a State Street resident told Officer
Ron Franklin on June 19 that he had been scammed out of $150
by a man and a woman who promised to seal his driveway, but
never showed up to do the work.
His check was cashed by the woman, the victim said.
- In both cases, the officers developed
suspects and showed the victims photos of the suspects. Now
officers are looking for the same suspects in both cases.
Detectives Sgt. Tammy Goolsby and Bobby Anderson are
investigating.
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- Men steal $4,100 in driveway repair
dupe
An elderly Pike Creek man who was persuaded to have his
driveway sealed by a couple of con men was swindled out of
$4,100 when the sealant they used washed away in the rain. New Castle County police are asking for the public’s help in
identifying the pair, one of whom was captured on
surveillance video as he was entering a bank to cash the
victim’s check. Officers were called to the 82-year-old
victim's Jarrell Farms home on Wednesday by the man’s
daughter.
-
- The investigation revealed the her father
was approached by the con men, who were soliciting work in
his neighborhood, and they convinced him that his driveway
needed repair. The agreed-upon price for sealing the driveway
was $4,900, said Cpl. Trinidad Navarro, a county police
spokesman.
-
- When the job was completed, the workers
were paid $4,900 by check by the victim. The two men took
the check to a bank, but the bank wouldn’t cash it. So the
con men went back to the victim’s home and had him issue
another check in the amount of $4,100, which they then took
to another bank, which did cash it. Navarro said while an
officer was taking the daughter’s report, it started to
rain, causing the alleged sealant to wash away and chunk in
some areas.
- Police are asking anyone who recognizes
the man in the surveillance photo to call county police at
395-8110 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
-
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- Driveway Repaving Scam Warning
- Winchester,
Va.
Posted: 2:22 PM
May 19, 2009 Last Updated: 2:39 PM May 19, 2009
The Winchester Police Department is warning residents
about something that may sound like a good deal but is
actually a scam.
They say there have been reports of driveway service scams
in the area.
Sheriff Lenny Millholland says somebody offered a resident
paving services last week. The person was charged close to
$1,000, and now he has dandelions coming out of his
driveway.
Millholland says, if you don't solicit the work, then you
shouldn't let people do it.
"If somebody comes to your house, make sure it's somebody
that you've contacted on the phone to do driveway sealing or
to do repairs to your drive way or to put down a new
driveway," says Millholland. Don't let somebody who just
knocks on your door, enter into an agreement and put
blacktop down."
Millholland says these types of scams are seasonal and
usually happen during the warmer months.
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