Residents warned of asphalt scam

Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones is warning residents about a scam that cost a rural man thousands of dollars.

A resident alerted the sheriffs office Thursday about the scam after he realized the driveway paving work he paid $11,500 for was substandard.

The man said he was approached by a crew of five men who offered to asphalt his driveway last week. One of the men told the resident the crew had just completed a job and could use leftover materials to asphalt his driveway for cash payment.

The crew, supposedly from the Metro East, was at the residence for about five hours and were paid in cash. The asphalt appeared to be a mix of rock and diesel fuel.

The work was very shoddy, nowhere near the level of work he paid for, Jones said.

The sheriffs office has received several complaints about similar attempts in the past few weeks, but this was the first report from a resident who fell victim to the scam.

Anyone with information about the scam is asked to call the sheriffs anonymous tipline at 618-439-9561. Residents who believe they are being scammed can call the sheriffs office at 618-438-4841.

-- The Southern

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Residents warned of asphalt scam