Police in Canada seek man ‘with Irish accent' suspected of paving scam
Police in Ontario, Canada, have arrested two men in a suspected 'door-to-door paving scam' after a man with an Irish accent offered to carry out work on a local home in Kingston.
Authorities say they responded to a call at a home in the Sherwood Drive area on Tuesday after a homeowner was offered a contract for $6,000 for driveway repairs if they paid cash.
When police arrived they encountered an individual in a white pickup truck 'with an Irish accent' who then called over his colleague before both left the scene 'at a high rate of speed'.
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News in 90 Seconds, Friday August 1
'The driveway of the home was observed to be in a partial state of repair and construction,' police said in statement issued on Wednesday.
'Left behind were multiple shovels/racks and two other individuals, later determined to be foreign nationals.'
Officers spoke with the two men who were left behind. The Canadian Border and Security Agency was contacted and both were placed under arrest for violations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Custody of the individuals was then transferred to CBSA agents.
According to the police report, the homeowner told officers they were approached by an 'Irish-sounding male' around 10.30am on Tuesday morning.
The homeowner was quoted $6,000 for repairs and paving work to the driveway if they paid cash.
'The homeowners stated they did not have that amount of cash at the house, at which point the male offered to take them to the bank,' police said.
'The male then dropped off the other two individuals who immediately began preparing the driveway. No contract was provided to the homeowner and no money was exchanged.'
Residents are now being warned to watch out for door-to-door paving scams operating in the Kingston area.
'Scammers offer to repave residential driveways at a steeply discounted cash rate, requiring payment up front,' police said.
'The suspects often state that they are doing work nearby, which is why they are offering the discounted rate, which is too good to be true.
'The work will be left incomplete, or the paving is of poor quality. In past cases, large piles of excavated asphalt and earth were left behind, often blocking the roadway.'
In May 2024, Ontario police issued a similar warning to residents to beware of the scam after numerous homeowners in the area were targeted by a group of men who spoke with Irish accents.
It was the latest recent warning to be issued by cops in the US and Canada over Irish scammers who travel around conning homeowners out of money and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Police forces across Europe and as far away as Australia and New Zealand have also issued numerous similar warnings.
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