Their primary targets are elderly residents in rural areas, and their pitch is believable at first.
“They tell folks they were just down the road doing a job and they have half a load of dirt or asphalt left over,” Johnson said. “They need to get rid of the material and will give the person a good price. Of course it’s all a con. When they are done the work is substandard, and the final price is often three or fours times what was agreed on in the beginning.”
Other scams include offering to re-roof a house or paint a barn.
“They spray oil on the old shingles to make them look new, and the first rain your new roof washes away,” Johnson said. “If they paint your house or barn it looks good for a little while. But following the next rain, the paint washes away.”
Similar incidents take place in Elmore and Montgomery counties, authorities there said.
Montgomery County Sheriff D.T. Marshall said it’s easy to spot most of the con men. “If they have a bright, shiny dump truck, and a shiny trailer and roller that looks like it’s never been off the road, that’s your first clue,” he said. “We arrest them when we can, and charge them with home repair fraud. The first offense is a misdemeanor and the second is a felony.
“I don’t think we ever had anyone we’ve arrested show up for their court date. But at least we turned them into believers that they don’t need to pull that stuff in Montgomery County.”
Any suspicious activity needs to be reported to law enforcement, said Ricky Lowery, chief deputy of the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.
“If people are worried or concerned, they need to call us; we’ll come out and check on things,” he said. “I’m sure the sheriff’s offices in Autauga and Montgomery counties will do the same thing.”
Once the work is done, the con artists often will try to intimidate the homeowner into paying more than was originally agreed upon, Johnson said.
