Hillsborough Sun

Town of Francestown issued the following announcement on September 28.

On September 27, 2021 at 1121am a resident reported a suspicious person and vehicle that came to their residence in the New Boston road area. The resident reported that on this same date at approximately 1100 am the unknown operator pulled into their driveway and approached the front door. The vehicle in question was described as being a black colored pickup truck with a magnetic sign attached to the door area. There was no     business name or registration plate number obtained at the time.

The resident went to the front door and spoke with the operator. He stated that he had owned an asphalt business and had just finished a driveway in New Boston. He went on to say that he had a little asphalt left over from the job and was wondering if the resident wanted their driveway asphalted and that his company could do it now. The resident felt something was wrong and declined having the work performed.

The Francestown Police Department want our citizens aware of the following: There are certain companies that “scam” unaware citizens by using this following approach. They indicate that they have extra asphalt and essentially talk citizens into asphalting the driveway, saying they can do it cheap, that it won’t cost that much and the workmanship is poor at best. These individuals usually have a group of workers that once the resident agrees to the work show up right away and do the work expeditiously and the “scam” complete.

They are known to “target” senior citizens, receive payment in advance then intimidate the citizen by demanding more money when the driveway is completed for different reasons. Several suspects have been arrested, criminally charged and convicted in the past several years.

The Francestown Police Department request that any citizen that is approached in this manner, to decline the work unless you know that the company is reputable. Please try to obtain a registration plate number and call the Francestown Police department at 547-6850.

Respectfully submitted,

Fred Douglas

Chief of Police

Original source can be found here.