Police: Be Aware of New Seal Coating Scam

Merrimack Police are warning residents to be aware of a new scam that recently targeted a resident in town.

Community Services Officer Robert Kelleher on Tuesday described a recent incident in which a resident was approached by an alleged seal coating company with an unknown name, who offered to fix the resident's driveway and was willing to accept a check for the work they did.

Typically, Kelleher said, scams involving seal coating/paving companies involve people who come to your door and offer to do a job for you, saying they just finished a job in the neighborhood and have leftover material and would be willing to fix your driveway at a discount. Generally, these scams involve the perpetrator demanding cash following the job, at a much higher price than originally quoted.

However, on Sept. 16, police took a report of a different iteration of the scam. The resident told police man who worked on the driveway accepted a check for the job. The next day the man came back and told the homeowner he lost his wallet with the check in it. He asked them to pay with a credit card by using his card scanner. He offered them a discount on the price if they paid by credit card. The price was $800 and he offered them a $150 discount. The customer agreed, but when the man left, the customer decided to call the bank and credit card company. The resident learned the check for $800 had been cashed and credit card for had been charged $650.

Due to the circumstances, they don't have any information that included the company's name, owner;s name or the involved parties.   

Police are reminding the public to use caution if approached by people offering unsolicited work and to call police at 424-3774 and report solicitors to them so they can investigate whether they are permitted to be peddling in Merrimack.

Below are a few good tips to remember when dealing with possible scammers. 

1. Do not make quick decisions
2. Always get a written estimate on what work is to be done
3. Make sure the price is in writing
4. Make sure you have info on company, names a phone numbers.
5. Call the better business bureau prior to picking a company