Police in Carmel issue warning about Irish travelers soliciting construction work

Detectives say watch your wallet!

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Officers’ Association issued a warning about Irish travelers soliciting construction work. They are putting this out because they have had several reports of workers with what they believe are Irish accents.

They say the people knock on the door and offer to do various projects, like fixing driveways or roofs.

Police say it is illegal to do this kind of work in the city without a permit. They suggest only hiring licensed contractors, being wary of low costs and making sure an elderly person in your care does not do business with an unlicensed contractor.

This problem actually didn’t start here, but the bay area. Chief Tomasi , with the Carmel Police says, ” They did work on an elderly man’s property, and said they would do his driveway for 3,500 dollars. They did a poor job, then took him to the bank and made him pay 7,500 dollars. ”

The suspects offer to fix your roof or driveway at attractive prices. The problem is they do a bad job, and take your money.

KION found people who claim to have been targeted on social media. One person reports, ” They came to my neighbors’ house yesterday. But knew the scam because they tipped off the next door. ”

But everyone has been approached. Resident of Carmel, Jeannette says, “Not really, we haven’t had a problem on out street.”

Jeannette has been walking along these Carmel streets for 14 years—she says

It’s not hard to see how people get fooled. “I think some people might be taken advantage of, if someone thought they were going to get a good price and needed something fixed.”

Once again, police say don’t be fooled. “Make sure they have a license to operate in the city, which in this case I don’t think they did,” says Tomasi .