Authorities warn of crooked traveling day laborers

LINCOLNTON An itinerant handyman stops by and promises his house-painting job will be first-class, fast and cheap.

But he only accepts cash.

When the stranger clears out with the money, all is well until the first rainfall.

Then a horrified homeowner watches as the fresh paint washes away.

Lincoln County Sheriff David Carpenter often hears stories like this after a group called the Irish Travelers descends on the area.

Their annual visits usually take place in the spring. But traveler sightings are already coming in and, although there have been no reported incidents this year, Carpenter recently issued a warning about the group.

The elderly are prime targets, especially in home repair and burglary scams. Carpenter said theyre usually at home alone during the day and traditionally have larger amounts of cash in the bank or in their homes.

Older folks are more trusting and more apt to take somebodys word, he said. Its sad. A good handshake and a good word used to mean something.

Carpenter said Irish Travelers are what law enforcement officers call members of the transient group, who are descendants of 19th-century Irish immigrants and many of whom are based in North Augusta, S.C., he said.

The group, which authorities say consists of members of a larger, law-abiding ethnic Irish community, travels into the local area using high-pressure sales tactics for driveway blacktopping or sealing, roof work or painting. Authorities said there are other people out there who pull these kinds of frauds, but call the travelers unique because of their mobility, organization and preference for working as family teams.

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Authorities warn of crooked traveling day laborers