Tarmacadam scam

galwayrush

Got visited twice today by some obviously travellers in a UK reg van, apparently they were doing ' a road job for the council' nearby and would have some left over, available at a great cost. they went house to house, must have been getting desperate as the evening went on because apparently, they were due in Cork the following morning on another important ' contract'
They were in the Lackagh / Turloughmore area today.

amiable

galwayrush wrote: »

Got visited twice today by some obviously travellers in a UK reg van, apparently they were doing ' a road job for the council' nearby and would have some left over, available at a great cost. they went house to house, must have been getting desperate as the evening went on because apparently, they were due in Cork the following morning on another important ' contract'
They were in the Lackagh / Turloughmore area today.

And what was the 'scam'?

dilallio

amiable wrote: »

And what was the 'scam'?

Google "tarmacadam scam" and you will find out.

http://www.traderscams.co.uk/new-scams-tradesmen-tricks.html

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2008/08/warnings-of-rogue-tarmac-and-h.html



Elderly people are very vulnerable to these scams

amiable

dilallio wrote: »

Google "tarmacadam scam" and you will find out.

http://www.traderscams.co.uk/new-scams-tradesmen-tricks.html

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2008/08/warnings-of-rogue-tarmac-and-h.html



Elderly people are very vulnerable to these scams

I know full well what one is but it doesn't give the details in th OP of what was .
There's no evidence that this was an actual scam. They may have been just trying to earn a few quid

the keen edge

amiable wrote: »

I know full well what one is but it doesn't give the details in th OP of what was .
There's no evidence that this was an actual scam. They may have been just trying to earn a few quid

Not a scam?.

So your saying that traveller's in a UK registered van,
a van that by law has to be declared and re registered, as an Irish vehicle, after 1 day of being in this country. And who are unable to estimate the required amount of tarmac to complete their initial contract, are now getting work from Galway County council?.

amiable

the keen edge wrote: »

Not a scam?.

So your saying that traveller's in a UK registered van,
a van that by law has to be declared and re registered, as an Irish vehicle, after 1 day of being in this country. And who are unable to estimate the required amount of tarmac to complete their initial contract, are now getting work from Galway County council?.

Show me the quote where i said its not a scam

newmug

amiable wrote: »

And what was the 'scam'?

Eh, this one ^^^^^^^. Your tone, the inverted commas around the word scam, and the questionmark, all point to a scenario in which you dont believe that this is a scam:rolleyes:

amiable

newmug wrote: »

Eh, this one ^^^^^^^. Your tone, the inverted commas around the word scam, and the questionmark, all point to a scenario in which you dont believe that this is a scam:rolleyes:

The question mark was there cos i asked a question. The inverted commas were quotation marks cos the OP called it a 'scam'.
Again show me the quote where i state it wasn't a 'scam'?

the keen edge

amiable wrote: »

Show me the quote where i said its not a scam

Show me where I said you said it was a scam?.

the keen edge wrote: »

Not a scam?.

So your saying that traveller's in a UK registered van,
a van that by law has to be declared and re registered, as an Irish vehicle, after 1 day of being in this country. And who are unable to estimate the required amount of tarmac to complete their initial contract, are now getting work from Galway County council?.

The question mark, is there to try and ascertain your view on the subject, which is unclear.

Come on, we're not in front of the judge here!
What is your view on the OP?

I would be very doubtful everything would be above board with these guy's.

Would you let them tarmac your driveway if they called to your door?

R P McMurphy

The scenario outlined is a very well known old scam. If they did do the job you could well be left with a membrame of tar

amiable

the keen edge wrote: »

Show me where I said you said it was a scam?.




The question mark, is there to try and ascertain your view on the subject, which is unclear.

Come on, we're not in front of the judge here!
What is your view on the OP?

I would be very doubtful everything would be above board with these guy's.

Would you let them tarmac your driveway if they called to your door?

I have no view whatsoever on the OP.
The question mark was there to ask a question.
I asked the OP a valid question

newmug

amiable wrote: »

The question mark was there cos i asked a question. The inverted commas were quotation marks cos the OP called it a 'scam'.
Again show me the quote where i state it wasn't a 'scam'?

That IS the quote that caused confusion. You came across like you didnt think it was a scam.

amiable

R P McMurphy wrote: »

The scenario outlined is a very well known old scam. If they did do the job you could well be left with a membrame of tar

I'm very familiar with this scam as you said yourself its very well known.
IMHO there was very little evidence of an actual scam in the OP.
That doesn't mean one wouldn't take place and that doesn't mean the OP wouldn't be able to back it up when he/she gets a chance to reply to the question i asked the OP

Gaffs89

amiable wrote: »

I'm very familiar with this scam as you said yourself its very well known.
IMHO there was very little evidence of an actual scam in the OP.
That doesn't mean one wouldn't take place and that doesn't mean the OP wouldn't be able to back it up when he/she gets a chance to reply to the question i asked the OP

Damn you OP! Look what you started!

newmug

amiable wrote: »

I'm very familiar with this scam as you said yourself its very well known.
IMHO there was very little evidence of an actual scam in the OP.
That doesn't mean one wouldn't take place and that doesn't mean the OP wouldn't be able to back it up when he/she gets a chance to reply to the question i asked the OP

Very little evidence? Well there's two major pieces of evidence that kinda clinches it for me anyway. Lets see:

• Supposed council contractors calling door-to-door looking for money
• Not just leaving excess tar in the council yard, like real council contractors would

Maybe I'm just too cynical for this crazy old world, but those two facts alone would ring my alarm bells, even if I'd never heard of a scam like this before.

amiable

newmug wrote: »

Very little evidence? Well there's two major pieces of evidence that kinda clinches it for me anyway. Lets see:

• Supposed council contractors calling door-to-door looking for money
• Not just leaving excess tar in the council yard, like real council contractors would

Maybe I'm just too cynical for this crazy old world, but those two facts alone would ring my alarm bells, even if I'd never heard of a scam like this before.

What happens Tarmacadam when you bring it back to said yard?
Maybe they stick it in the microwave the next morning to use again?
Still no evidence there that the OP was to be scammed.
Think before you post.

the keen edge

amiable wrote: »

I have no view whatsoever on the OP.
The question mark was there to ask a question.
I asked the OP a valid question

You haven't answered my question.

Again,
Travellers call to your door asking if you would like your driveway tarmaced.
They claim to be working on a what is essentially a government contract despite the following glaring peculiarities:

They are working from an out of state registered vehicle.

Although to acquire government work, they would have to have a reasonable knowledge of taking measurements,
Despite this they have over estimated the size of there initial contract by surprise surprise, the size of your driveway.

They will be over 200Km away from your house tomorrow.

Would you give them the job?

amiable

the keen edge wrote: »

You haven't answered my question.

Again,
Travellers call to your door asking if you would like your driveway tarmaced.
They claim to be working on a what is essentially a government contract despite the following glaring peculiarities:

They are working from an out of state registered vehicle.

Although to acquire government work, they would have to have a reasonable knowledge of taking measurements,
Despite this they have over estimated the size of there initial contract by surprise surprise, the size of your driveway.

They will be over 200Km away from your house tomorrow.

Would you give them the job?

Nor have you answered mine. Where is the evidence of the 'scam'?

UngratefulWhelp

Sweet Jesus save us from the bending-over-backwards to be politically correct.

No doubt if they called to amiable's door, he'd accept their kind offer to show how non-prejudiced he/she is.

amiable

UngratefulWhelp wrote: »

Sweet Jesus save us from the bending-over-backwards to be politically correct.

No doubt if they called to amiable's door, he'd accept their kind offer to show how non-prejudiced he/she is.

I don't need you to speak for me. As you will see i'm quite capable of speaking for myself. It doesn't matter whether i'd give them the job myself or not. But if you really want to know i wouldn't because if i wanted to get my drive done i'd research it and get the best quote. i wouldn't do it on a whim. It has nothing to do with being politically correct. I'm probably the most un PC person i know but there are rules on this forum

Caliden

At least that lot asked if you wanted tarmacadam.
They started laying it on a neighbours driveway in my area and he came out to tell them to leave.
They then wanted cash for the work they had done (despite not being asked to do it) and started an altercation.

I won't go into the details but one of them tried to stop a shovel with his head and they left shortly after.
Thanks for the heads up OP.

Better safe than sorry

bastados

With these guys going round its wise to give them a very quick brush off at the door as they can very easily become bothersome if they think there is any chance of getting any money off you.

amiable

bastados wrote: »

With these guys going round its wise to give them a very quick brush off at the door as they can very easily become bothersome if they think there is any chance of getting any money off you.

Good point. They react better to people being firm IMO

biko

It's a scam. They even go to Sweden.
http://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?showtopic=18405

They were Irish. Had the fortune to be in when a young Irish whipper snapper tried to convince the wife that we needed a new driveway. He couldn't have been older than 12 and he was trying to sell us a tarmaced drive way for 15,000 SEK

The wife couldn't really understand what he was saying as he had quite a strong accent. I had to step in and say that we wasn't interested. As soon as he realised I was British he gave up and that was that. A couple of days later our local paper had an article about them though they seemed to be more concerned that they were not paying Swedish tax as oppose to ripping people off and stealing gravel.

One Irish road paver has been arrested while another is wanted by police in southern Sweden after the pair ordered a schoolboy to fill their truck with stolen gravel.
The two men drove straight past security barriers and across a field to get to a gravel yard outside Skurup in the far south of Sweden on Wednesday. They then phoned a nearby school and asked for help to dislodge a digger that had become stuck. A teacher at the school sent a pupil over to the yard to help the pavers.
But when the pupil got to the site he quickly realised that there was no digger. Instead the two men threatened him and ordered him to start loading gravel into their UK-registered truck, local newspaper Ystads Allehanda reports.
"It was incredibly cheeky. It's surprising how inventive thieves can be," Ingrid Larsson from the Brösarps Grus gravel yard told the newspaper.
Once the truck was loaded, the men hopped in and drove away from the pit. But in an ironic twist of fate, the wheels of the vehicle got stuck in the waterlogged field and the men were unable to proceed.
By then the school had suspected that all was not well and notified Ingrid Larsson, who in turn called the police. By the time the police arrived, the men had disappeared.
But the pavers appear to have been lying in wait and returned to the scene after the police had the truck towed out of the field. With the police busy gathering information, the two men climbed aboard the rescued vehicle and made good their escape.

newmug

amiable wrote: »

What happens Tarmacadam when you bring it back to said yard?
Maybe they stick it in the microwave the next morning to use again?
Still no evidence there that the OP was to be scammed.
Think before you post.

What happens? It doesn't go hard in the back of their lorry, and it cant be scammed "sold" on to some unsuspecting unfortunate, thats what happens.

Either you're trolling or you're a very, very naive person.

biko

Play nice pls

tinofapples

the keen edge wrote: »

Not a scam?.

So your saying that traveller's in a UK registered van,
a van that by law has to be declared and re registered, as an Irish vehicle, after 1 day of being in this country. And who are unable to estimate the required amount of tarmac to complete their initial contract, are now getting work from Galway County council?.

There's lots of foreign registered vehicles doing work for county councils up and done the country. O'Kane or Kane's spring to mind as do some E (Rather than IRL) plated Toyota Hilux's that were about Galway round the time the motorway was under construction !!

the keen edge

tinofapples wrote: »

There's lots of foreign registered vehicles doing work for county councils up and done the country. O'Kane or Kane's spring to mind as do some E (Rather than IRL) plated Toyota Hilux's that were about Galway round the time the motorway was under construction !!

I never said they aren't here; I said they shouldn't be. Big difference.

the_syco

biko wrote: »

It's a scam. They even go to Sweden.

From a someone I know who did work in Sweden: most of the travellers in Sweden are Irish, and they bring over their Irish regged cars.

newmug

the_syco wrote: »

From a someone I know who did work in Sweden: most of the travellers in Sweden are Irish, and they bring over their Irish regged cars.

Bloody hell, there's kna travellers in Sweeden?:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

amiable

newmug wrote: »

Bloody hell, there's kna travellers in Sweeden?:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

They are in France too. On the outskirts of a town called Lamballe there's a big site.

Head The Wall

amiable wrote: »

Nor have you answered mine. Where is the evidence of the 'scam'?

Are you for real, you will have to hand over the money and you will have to give them the chance to "finish" the job before you will have the evidence that it is a scam. At that stage it will be too late and they won't be seen again.

Maybe next time, someone should ask for a VAT receipt and some ID when these guys come to the door. If they feck off I think you can safely say it's a scam, don't know if a sworn affidavit would be enough evidence for you though

amiable

Head The Wall wrote: »

Are you for real, you will have to hand over the money and you will have to give them the chance to "finish" the job before you will have the evidence that it is a scam. At that stage it will be too late and they won't be seen again.

Maybe next time, someone should ask for a VAT receipt and some ID when these guys come to the door. If they feck off I think you can safely say it's a scam, don't know if a sworn affidavit would be enough evidence for you though

Are you for real? When have you ever handed over money before a job is done? And i've been called naive. Did the OP ask for a VAT receipt and ID? He may have but hasn't steted it. Sure you are another one who knows what i'd do. Thanks Mister. I'd be lost without yee. I don't know how i got this far in life on my own

galwayrush

amiable wrote: »

Are you for real? When have you ever handed over money before a job is done? And i've been called naive. Did the OP ask for a VAT receipt and ID? He may have but hasn't steted it. Sure you are another one who knows what i'd do. Thanks Mister. I'd be lost without yee. I don't know how i got this far in life on my own

The first guy flashed a business card, but it so fast, it was back in his pocket before i could read it. One of his passenger was a lady, hair in a top knot, and was wearing large hoopy ear rings. He also said the had a lorry and a half left over from the council job , and would be wiling to spread it for cash.
Second guy, arrived about 2 hours later, tried his best to put on a 'posh ' accent that was somewhat compromised by the words ' no problem boss'
He also offered a discount if i handed him a cash deposit first.

Now, a lorry and a half left over, well, the council did do a road crossing locally, i would expect 2 wheel barrows of tar would have been more than enough for the job, so i asked him how did they get the estimated amount so wrong. He said they were told the job was suppost to be bigger.

Maybe i was stupid to turn down such a generous offer.:pac::pac::pac:

Gaffs89

Yep Galwayrushe you sure missed out there. Are you interested in a 100% Persian rug Boss....

the_syco

galwayrush wrote: »

Second guy, arrived about 2 hours later, tried his best to put on a 'posh ' accent that was somewhat compromised by the words ' no problem boss'

I lol'ed

galwayrush

Gaffs89 wrote: »

Yep Galwayrushe you sure missed out there. Are you interested in a 100% Persian rug Boss....

Oh yes, i ain't going to miss another golden oppoturnity, would you like cash or my credit card details? :pac::pac:

bobby11

unfortunantly this van and its occupiers are still in the area. they have been reported to the gaurds as they have also been verbally abusive when calling at homes.all we can do is keep an eye out for the van in the area and report it to tuam gaurds who have been out already.

Head The Wall

amiable wrote: »

Are you for real? When have you ever handed over money before a job is done? And i've been called naive. Did the OP ask for a VAT receipt and ID? He may have but hasn't steted it. Sure you are another one who knows what i'd do. Thanks Mister. I'd be lost without yee. I don't know how i got this far in life on my own

It happens plenty, a lot of work we do now for people that wouldn't be regular customers have to pay up front.

Do you not find it a bit odd that you are the only person saying these people are not scammers. I wonder why that is?

whitelightrider

bobby11 wrote: »

unfortunantly this van and its occupiers are still in the area. they have been reported to the gaurds as they have also been verbally abusive when calling at homes.all we can do is keep an eye out for the van in the area and report it to tuam gaurds who have been out already.

These guys called to my sister in Coolarne on Thursday. Pushy enough but she was well able for them.

billim

friend of mine does this,came back from a workin holiday with 16grand.not bad for eight days work.soft victims he calls them,hes most recent job involved the gutter hedgehog all 10feet of it which he spent two hours of tthe ladder around pretending to fit.when the old guy asked why he could not see it from a certain window that overlooked gutter,he told him he had to shove it under the slate cause of the ackward angle.the guards have put a lot of preasure on them searching transit vans,which is why they now prefer smaller vans ie citroen berlingo.

newmug

^^^^^^ Thats pure scumbaggery.

Shakti

sticky situation

Nedser101

Has anybody ever got a legitimate job done by a traveller

jamesdiver

Thanks for the heads up. Id be making sure my sheds are locked up also.

biko

Billim has been sitebanned as troll.

Old thread lock.