Botetourt County authorities warn residents of solicitor scams

Odyssey Fields
·2 min read

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) –The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office is warning the community of solicitor scams involving home improvement.

Deputies say groups normally travel to the area from South Carolina and Georgia. They go door-to-door soliciting businesses or residents in groups of two or more. The scammers will offer home improvement services including driveway paving, sealing, and roof barn painting.

“What may sound like a great deal is often times not. They tend to target the elderly and at some point, they will distract the homeowner so another member of their crew can steal items of value within the home,” posted the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.

City, police warns residents of scams circling Roanoke

As a result, deputies are encouraging residents to:

  • Only do business with people you know or people that you have contacted after researching their reputations. Reputable contractors will rarely sell door-to-door.

  • Do not trust claims of having leftover asphalt from another job. Reputable asphalt contractors will know with certain accuracy how much asphalt is needed for a job with little to no asphalt leftover.

  • Be cautious with deals that seem to good to be true with quoted prices unreasonably low for the job. Chances are the quality of work will also be low.

  • Never let anyone in your home unsupervised – it is common for a scammer to ask to use restroom, a drink or come in to take measurements.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, in the county, a person soliciting business must have a Sheriff’s Office-issued Solicitor’s Permit that includes their photograph. If a solicitor knocks at your door ask for the permit.

If they do not have a valid permit ask them to leave and call the Botetourt County Emergency Communications Center non-emergency at 540-473-8631 to report the violation.

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