NORTH BURNETT ON ALERT FOR DRIVEWAY CON ARTISTS
GAYNDAH police are warning that travelling scammers offering cheap bitumen-laying services may be headed for the North Burnett.
Officer-in-charge Sergeant Don Auld said these roving conmen, described as a group of Irish or English rogue traders, have targeted rural properties in the Gympie area with long unsealed driveways.
The “bitumen bandits” arrive in a small truck towing a trailer with a bobcat and a small roller, purporting to be from a road-building business.
The con artists tell their victim they have leftover bitumen from a job and offer to seal their driveway for half price, usually about $30 a metre instead of $60.
Sergeant Auld said the targets, who were usually elderly, would often not know the size of the driveway and would agree to the deal.
The men seal the driveway and roll it, but perform a very poor job, before invoicing the victim an unreasonably high price for the job.
Gayndah police advise locals not to engage with any person seeking to seal their rural driveway with bitumen before confirming the company was reputable.
Queensland Office of Fair Trading was furthering the victims’ complaints under the Fair Trading legislation.