Parkville Police: Beware of Home Improvement Scams

Late last week, a Carney resident may have been the target of an attempted home improvement scam, and now police are asking the public to be wary of contractors who arrive uninvited.

On March 13, an elderly homeowner in the 2900 block of Superior Avenue was approached by a contractor seeking to perform work on her driveway, according to Parkville police Officer Mark Dorsey.

Detectives continue to investigate the incident, but Dorsey said that the woman went to talk to her neighbor after becoming suspicious of the worker. When the homeowner and the neighbor asked the contractor to produce his license, he was unable to and left.

"People need to be aware of home improvement scams," Dorsey said. "This is the time of year this seems to happen."

Dorsey warned residents to be wary when they are approached by unsolicited workers offering to seal driveways, seal a roof or do other work.

Often, he said, such contractors will target the elderly, drive unmarked vehicles and most importantly will not be able to produce a valid Maryland Home Improvement license.

"People solicited by these companies need to ask to see their licenses," he said. "That's what happened here, they asked to see a license and he wasn't able to produce one."

Scammers, he said, will often get paid for a job and say they'll come back in a couple of days to fix it and never return.

"Look into it before you agree so you don't get swindled out of thousands of dollars," Dorsey said.