Alleged scam victim wants to warn others

RILEY TWP., Ohio - Every year, police warn of so called "travelers" scams. Out of town families pass through the Tri-State performing cut rate work then leave town.

Paul Harville says he fell for it.

He built his home in 1995 and always had a gravel driveway.

In May, he says someone representing "Pave Rite" knocked on his door. The flyer says "our men and equipment will be in your area for least the next 7 days, DON'T DELAY".

The flyer lists a local address in Middletown.

Harville said he was tired of dust on his cars, and agreed to have the company pave his driveway, paying the contractor $14,350 cash for the work. He says the contractor promised 2 1/2 inches of asphalt.

Harville says he went to the bank and stopped to buy the crew lunch.

"I went to the store, got them pop, and went and got them pizza and went and got them steak sandwiches," Harville said.

He says the crew finished the same day and he immediately found problems with low spots. He says he was promised someone would return to make it right.

"It seems like the further they went, the thinner they got," quipped Harville.

Two months later, grass is growing in many places on the driveway.

"Not only do I have to mow my grass, I have mow my driveway," Harville joked.

Where the driveway meets his pole barn, the door creates a tight seal on the left side, while there's a large gap on the right side.

"The cats can actually crawl underneath," he said.

Harville says he's called all the numbers he has for the company and they've never returned.

He went to the Middletown address listed on the flyer, and says not only does the address not exist, the only thing near by is an apartment building.

Cincinnati Police Sergeant Eric Franz, president of the Ohio Crime Prevention Association, says many people fall victim to these type of scams every year.

Franz suggests doing your homework before you pay anyone money.

"Check with the better business bureau, make sure they're legitimate, make sure they can prove they're local," Franz said. "A simple thing you can do is look at their license plate on the car that's in the driveway and make sure it has an Ohio licenses plate."

Harville says the "Pave Rite" truck had Texas tags.

"You're in control here, there are thousands of contractors in this city who will do work for you," said Franz.

9 News called "Pave Rite", the man who answered the phone denied doing work in Cincinnati and said he knew nothing of the Middletown address.

Harville reported his experience to the Ohio Attorney General's Office and called the Butler County Sheriff's Office.