Fraud Alert

On July 11, 2018, at 2:00 PM, Abington Police responded to the 1400 block of Autumn Rd. in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township. On July 10, three males arrived at the home in a black Ford F150 4 door pickup truck. The males spoke with the 94 year old homeowner, and convinced him to let them sealcoat his driveway and also do some concrete repair. They performed poor quality work, coating the driveway with substandard black coating, and threw down some concrete, which already started to crack the next day. The males were paid the agreed upon amount by the elderly resident, and told him they would be back the next day to do more work for more money. When the elderly man’s son saw the work being done the next day, he realized it was a scam and called police. Officers were able to stop the suspects and identify that they had been involved in this type of transient crime in the past. The victim’s money was returned to him, and this investigation is on-going. This is an example of a common scam, which is frequently done by transients and other deceptive business persons, who seek out and prey on elderly victims. In general, the suspects will either over charge for poor work, or sometimes even distract the victim while other members of the group enter the victim’s home and steal cash and other items. The best defense to this is to be vigil, and to look after elderly family members and neighbors. Be aware of people coming to your door to solicit for work, and contact police immediately if this happens to you or someone you care about.