Chesterton police are warning residents about a driveway sealing scam after an elderly man lost $1,900, a report said.
The man, 89, of the 700 block of Greenwood Drive, told police that around 11:30 a.m. March 24, a crew of three men in a white truck stopped and knocked on his door. They asked if he wanted the last 8 feet of his driveway tarred because it was chipping and would only get worse. He told police he agreed to the work for $300.
At one point, one of the men asked to go inside for a drink of water. The man didn’t allow him inside and instead said he would bring him a drink.
He told police that as the work finished, he went inside and took three $100 bills out of an emergency cash stash, and was certain there was $1,900 at that location.
When he went to may the men, he talked at length with one of the men, whom he described as the heaviest of the three, and told police he later realized it was a distraction technique, a report said.
When he went back inside, he noticed the entry door from the attached garage into the house was slightly ajar. When he went to count the money he had left over, he couldn’t find it, and told police he thought while he spoke with the worker, one of the others went inside and took the money, the report said. He also told police the tar appeared to be of low quality.
He was unable to provide police with a description of the men. Two men doing grading work nearby told police the men’s truck had a large spray tank mounted in the bed, but were unable to provide other details, the report said.
Police searched the area but were unable to locate the men, and told the man to only engage in contacts with reputable companies if anyone approaches him for home repair again.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
