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The con artists, also called “travelers,” move around the East Coast using scams and diversions to get into people’s pocketbooks.
This time, a grifting group coincidentally came to the door of a couple who’d called a legitimate roofing company for help, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.
When the couple asked whether they were their contractors, they said they were.
They then “proceeded to cover the entire roof with some sort of tar or rubberized asphalt,” the chief said.
Quoted a price of “950” a square yard, the couple was later told it was $950 and not $9.50, as they’d originally thought, he said.
That meant a total of $18,000 split evenly between labor and materials, Ackermann said.
The couple was reluctant, but the scammers intimidated them into writing checks before leaving, he said.
Family members later cancelled the checks and called police, who immediately began investigating, the chief said.
Unfortunately, “extensive damage was done to the couple’s home,” he said.
The thieves – one of whom was described as Hispanic and the other Caribbean – had a white Chevy Silverado crew cab with a black tonneau cover over the pickup's flatbed, Ackermann said.
Anyone who sees or may be able to identify the vehicle or men involved is asked to contact the lead investigator in the Glen Rock case, Detective Sgt. Jim Calaski at (201) 670-3948 or jcalaski@glenrockpolice.com.
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