BEWARE: Driveway Scams on the Rise in Massachusetts

Spring, summer and fall are the times when paving con artists prey upon homeowners, especially senior citizens. They show up at your door, offer a very low price to asphalt or seal your driveway, and offer a great bargain because "they have material left over" from a job nearby. Theses con artists may claim to offer a "lifetime guarantee" but they don't offer a contract. They want you to make a snap decision and want you to pay cash on the spot.

It may be tempting to dress up your cracked and faded driveway but watch out. Those are all signals of a scam. The original low estimate is often replaced by much higher unexpected charges, even up to thousands of dollars.  Sometimes the con artists are menacing or threatening, especially to the elderly, and the job turns out to be very poor or worthless (sometimes they just paint the driveway.)  By the time you realize you’ve been scammed, the con artists are long gone cashing your check at the nearest bank on their way out of town.  These are usually flat out con schemes run by wandering scammers.  Traveling from town to town, these con artists hit and run taking your hard earned money with them.

If at any time you feel that you have become the victim of such a scam, or approached by a person who may be operating such a scam, please call the department immediately so that said persons may be identified.