A HOMEOWNER has unexpectedly found someone doing work on their driveway they didn't ask for or permit - before requesting pay.
Now authorities are looking for the man said to be involved in the "unwanted residential paving incident" the Ontario, Canada homeowner reported.
Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police released an image of the suspect last week on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Police revealed the photo showing the community what the man who went by the name "Peter" looked like with the goal of finding him and warning residents about the unusual situation.
The man also said that he represented a company called Unique Paving & Masonry.
The incident in which the homeowner found the suspicious person doing work on their driveway happened last month.
Tammie Corrigan explained that the man knocked on her door and offered a discounted rate to do the work.
She said that they talked about the possibility of him going through with the job but ultimately, Corrigan declined to go ahead with the repaving he offered.
"At the end of the conversation [he said]: 'I'll call you next week when we're ready to do this,'" she told CTV News.
"My words were: 'We'll call you if we decide to do this.'"
The woman said she returned home the next morning to find a crew working on her driveway.
Corrigan even noted that it was half-paved at that point.
Because of this, she said the man offered to complete the work and give her $500 off the $7,500 bill.
"We're not intending to pay him for any of the work that we did not ask for," she stressed.
Unique Paving & Masonry said the whole situation was a "misunderstanding" and they had a verbal agreement, an unnamed employee told CTV News.
The business representative added: "We don't just turn up and do this randomly."
Tips to avoid being scammed into a driveway, sidewalk, or walkway job:
Just because someone shows up at your door wearing a reflective vest, a hard hat, and work boots does not mean they come from a reputable contracting company.
A scammer may tell you they could do a driveway, walkway, or sidewalk repaving for much cheaper than the previous contractor told you, appealing to homeowners looking to save thousands on home repairs.
Before writing a check or paying cash for what seems like an offer that's too good to be true, here are some tips to ensure it's not a scam.
Read more here.
Local police said the incident is currently a civil matter but, in order to make a final determination about it, the agency would need to speak with the guy who did the work and requested the pay.
When the OPP made the online post about the suspect, lots of residents tuned in with replies.
One individual even noted that the address provided by Unique Paving & Masonry is a UPS store.
"She should check if the company put a lien on her house," an X user said.
"It’s actually a pretty simple solution," another person said.
"Restore it to how it was or do not expect any payment and be happy you’re not being charged with trespassing."
