Beware of unlicensed paving company

The district attorney's office announced a warning to residents that an unlicensed paving company may be operating in the county.

The company includes nearly a dozen men who previously operated for about a month in Nevada and scammed dozens of residents and businesses in that state.

The traveling scam artists drive new vehicles, some towing pavers and rollers that are a bright orange color and have six new orange dumps trucks. All vehicles have either Michigan or New Hampshire license plates. Traveling construction scammers often move from town to town, usually targeting the elderly or recent immigrants who are likely to have cash in hand and who may not understand what is being sold. The scammers will knock on a homeowner's door or enter a business and offer to perform work with material they claim is left over from another job. After making a deal, the scam artist performs substandard, useless or destructive work. They quickly move on before the victims know they've been defrauded.

Consumers should be alert to these red flags: claims of leftover materials, high pressure or scare tactics, reluctance to sign a written contract, demand for payment in cash, brandnew vehicles and outofstate license plates, tollfree telephone contact instead of a local number and unsolicited offers to do painting, roofing or paving work.

Consumers who may have information on these individuals or who have come in contact with them can download a complaint form from the California Contractors State License Board at www.cslb.ca.gov.

Those who see someone who may be a transient contractor should download a Hot Lead Referral form from the website listed above and fax it to CSLB immediately.

For more information, call (800) 321-2752 or visit the website above.