'Bitumen bandits' scam family out of almost $10k
A Riverland businessman says he has paid for a very expensive lesson after falling victim to a bogus work crew that fleeced him and wrecked his driveway.
A South Australian family has been left nearly $10,000 in debt after falling victim to a resurfacing scam involving a company that offered to work at a discounted rate. The fraudulent group, dubbed "the bitumen bandits," arrived at the family's driveway, claiming to have leftover bitumen from a nearby job and offering to complete the work for a fraction of the usual price.
Despite initial concerns about the tools and equipment the workers were using, the family agreed to proceed with the job. However, after just two hours, it became apparent that the work was incomplete and shoddy. The couple was then informed that they would need to pay an additional $21,000 to finish the job properly.
The family turned the scammers away and is now left with the task of finding a legitimate company to repair their driveway. The scam has been reported to the Consumer Business Services (CBS), with six complaints currently under investigation. CBS officials have warned that the scammers often use threatening behavior, fail to provide cooling-off periods, and make false representations, breaching consumer laws in the process.
The family urges others to be vigilant and ensure they only pay for work once they are satisfied with its quality. They believe that engaging local, reputable businesses can help prevent falling victim to such scams in the future.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
