(Stillwater) – Elderly people in Payne County are being targeted in a driveway paving scam by an out-of-town company that puts on a thin layer of blacktop and presents a bill for $10,000 or more, Undersheriff Garry McKinnis told KUSH today.
The father of a law enforcement officer and a Cushing businessman are among the people who have been approached in this scam, which has been going on for a couple of weeks throughout Payne County, the undersheriff said.
Some people victimized in this scam have stopped payment on their checks, but others have actually paid the bill, the undersheriff said.
The Payne County Sheriff’s Office strongly recommends that people deal with local companies whose reputation is well-known, the undersheriff said.
In the current scam, “The typical scenario is that an employee or the owner of the company will approach a residence and ask if the homeowner would like to have their driveway paved and it will be cheap because the asphalt is left over from a previous job,” Deputy Dan Gwin said.
“Sometimes a price per square foot will be quoted, but the impression will be that the cost will be nominal.
“No actual finished cost quote will be presented at that time.
“Then after completion of the job, a bill for approximately $10,000 will be presented, and payment will be demanded,” the deputy said.
While a standard asphalt paving thickness for a driveway should be four inches with a packed base, in the cases under investigation, “there was no packed base and the thickness is less than two inches,” the deputy said.
“Elderly retirees and single persons living in remote areas are especially vulnerable to this scam,” the deputy said.
Anyone approached by a non-local paving company should be extremely cautious, the undersheriff said.
The undersheriff urged that people who have encountered this scam call the Payne County Sheriff’s Office at (405) 372-4522.
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