By Omran Wahidy

Medicine Hat plagued with asphalt fraud

Jul 25, 2023 | 4:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Consumer Investigations Unit is warning Albertans about fraud asphalt paving companies targeting residents in small towns and rural communities.

These companies typically go door to door, offering asphalt paving at a discounted rate due to leftover material from prior jobs. The companies don’t mention that their material is not up to industry standards. Scott Smith, a Hatter and president of Waybest Tower, is one of many residents to fall victim to the paving fraud.

“This guy came up and wanted to give us a good deal on some recycled asphalt and lay it in our backyard, over here at our shop. And ya we agreed to what the product was and what the price would be and the amount of product he would bring. So we agreed upon all that.”

Except the material Scott had initially agreed upon differed from what the paving company eventually laid down.

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“Towards the end, once we realized it was basically gravel that he was putting down, that’s when we started to push back and negotiate the price to be a lot lower than what he had initially wanted.”

Insp. Joe West of the Medicine Hat Police Service says reporting suspicious activities is critical in preventing things like this from happening.

“These criminals have a way of selecting trusting individuals. Often time they are elderly and they trust folks, and it looks like there’s a good story. They are very good at persuasion and convincing people, and unfortunately every year we have some folks who fall victim.”

He also says that watching for warning signs becomes vital with an overflowing amount of scams going around.

“Most of our local reputable businesses don’t try and get business by going door to door or identifying some problem with your house or your pavement or what have you. They just don’t operate that way.”

For Scott, the unfortunate situation has now become an opportunity to shed light on frauds like this.

“I just don’t want anyone else to get scammed like that. So just beware of any pushy business people coming into your office or your house asking for cash upfront or changing their story and giving you faulty products.”

Those who come in contact with these companies should report them to the police to further prevent fraud from occurring.