A seasonal scam, that targets seniors and rural residents, is just around the corner and will likely show up in Mountain View County within the next month.The scam is part of a larger organized crime operation with people looking to pave driveways in exchange for cash payments, explain police.Members of the operation will go door to door and offer low rates for paving a driveway with asphalt they say is leftover from a previous job. Last year police received calls from rural areas of Cremona, Carstairs and Sundre.A group calling themselves JD Construction showed up on the doorstep of an elderly woman's house north of McDougal Flats last April offering to pave her driveway. She shelled out $7,500 for the job that was unfinished and poorly done, with just a thin layer of asphalt used.ìThe problem is it's a very grey area of the law between criminal and civil,î said Cpl. Warren Wright of the Didsbury RCMP Detachment. ìThey are offering a service Ö If the quality of the job isn't up to snuff and you didn't get what you thought, it's too bad.îBuyers need to be aware of people going door to door asking for cash payments. They should look for business licences and avoid verbal contracts, he said.In the case of the woman, police said the woman didn't agree to the service but was a little hesitant with her decision, not giving the man at her door a direct ìnoî as an answer. The next day, a group showed up at her house and started to pave her driveway. When she went to ask what was happening the man demanded money, originally requesting $15,000 before settling on the $7,500.ìIf you're remotely suspicious call the police. We're aware of this and we're expecting them,î he said.The group move in and out of communities within Alberta quickly. They come every year with a different name, and have fake business cards and use disposable cell phones. Police said the description of a man in his forties or fifties with an Australian or New Zealand accent consistently crops up from residents, and police believe his is a primary figure. Police said workers are typically illegal immigrants recruited from larger cities such as Calgary and Edmonton.The scam typically starts up in April and runs until August.ìThey're appealing to people's desire to have a good cash deal. They're also appealing to people's naivety and demanding payment,î said Wright, urging people to think twice before accepting a deal that might seem to good to be true.
