Reported by: Rudi Raynes
Videographer: Trevor Anderson
Web Producer: Rudi Raynes
August 21, 2008 12:37am
EYEWITNESS NEWS ONLINE VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
"If they did it to my grandpa who is disabled.I think they'd do it to anyone think they'd do it to their own mother."
That's what Donnie Ennis says after his grandparents were scammed into buying blacktop.
Uneven, unstable, and unfinished.. that's Roy and Pat Arthur's driveway now. Six men offered to cover their little gravel driveway but now they're worse off than ever.
Roy says, "My wife started to write him a check and he said 'oh no, I want cash'. We shoud've given it some thought then that somthing was up, but we didn't." The couple says the men followed them to the bank where they took out 6,600 dollars cash. So they handed over the cash and the men disappeared. Even though they promised to retun and finish the job-- for an extra 16 hundred bucks.
Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith warns everyone should be leery of these kinds of offers. "When someone pulls up like that and wants to roof your house, blacktop your driveway, or whatever, don't take them at face value."
Ennis says, "It was a little less than 6 hundred dollars. I've never been so mad and I'm still mad."
That's all West Virginia Paving experts estimate the blacktop Roy got was worth. Not only that they say it'll take 3,000 dollars to repair.
Being scammed out of the money hurts Roy, but he says trying to help one of them hurts even worse." I tried to tell him about Jesus. I said now buddy get ready for the Lord. He's a'comin. He said I'll do that. He needs it."
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