Homeowners warned about driveway scams

BUFFALO The Better Business Bureau serving Upstate New York is warning homeowners to use caution when hiring a paving contractor.

BBB has heard from consumers in the Albany and Syracuse areas who gave money upfront to a man going door to door offering to pave their driveways.

The driveway paving scam is not new, but each year consumers are swindled out of unreasonable amounts of money," said Warren Clark, Upstate New York president for the group, in a press release.

"And, oftentimes, the paving projects are unnecessary.

Check out paving companies at bbb.org to make an informed decision, the release advised.

That small effort could pay off big, it said.

In many cases, the (scam) paving company disappears, and the consumer is not able to contact them to complain about the work."

Beware of paving company representatives who knock on your door, saying they have leftover materials from another job and claim to offer bargain prices, the group said.

"Complaints about these companies primarily focus on shoddy quality of work."

Another issue that arises, the release said, is when pavers run out of materials, say they will be back the next day, then disappear.

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Homeowners warned about driveway scams