Police Officers who investigate home repair scams typically encounter "American Gypsies" also called "Travelers", and "Rom Gypsies". Travelers are made up of three groups of Travelers, English, Scotch, and Irish. The English Travelers, especially the Boswells, Coopers, and Stanleys, , actually call themselves Gypsies. Other English Travelers go by the names of Small, Oaks, Harrison, and Herrin. Irish Travelers use Sherlock, Gorman, and Donahue, while Scotch use Williamson, Galvin, Haliday, Keith, Parks, and Holden. Although little is known about the Traveler's history, they all speak in a "cant", a secret language among each other. They have been labeled Gypsies or Travelers primarily because they travel as families and groups and because of their nomadic ways.
Asphalt Driveway Sealing/Paving: Most of the victims are approached through door to door contacts. The suspicious person will offer to fix the driveway but the final price will not be what was agreed on. The Asphalt mixture will soon crumble. The sealant will give it a white appearance that washes off with the first rain. The check given for payment will be immediately cashed. Often the suspect will steal any written contract back after the victim lays it down so there will not be anything to show the police.
Roof Sealing/Fix Shingles/ Leaks: Victims are approached through door to door contacts. Travelers do have regular customers who get their roof sprayed every year and never realize they have been swindled. The substance sprayed on the roof may be oil, motor oil, or gasoline mixed with silver paint, or even regular latex paint. The substance is not a fire retardant, will not prolong the life of the roof, will not seal down the shingles, and will not fix any leaks. The Travelers are as a rule very neat and clean and maintain their equipment.
Home Invasion/Burglary: While engaged in a home repair scam, the victim's attention is distracted and an accomplice will steal valuables out of the house. The victim may not miss the items for several days. It is not uncommon for the victims to lose more in the burglary than in the home repair scam.
House Painting: The painting is shoddy with paint that is cheap and thinned down.
Alert: Asphalt, Roofing, and Painting Travelers- The Travelers come to our area every year in the spring and summer. They will come to your door and tell you they have a load of hot asphalt left over from a job. They may say they are in the area doing painting or roofing and you must act quickly to get this special offer or special price. These people often contact senior citizens and can be very intimidating. They will request cash or will offer to take the senior to the bank to get the money. If a personal check is taken, the check will be cashed at your bank within the hour. The work will be of very poor quality including, thinned down paint or an inadequate amount of asphalt to do the job properly. Travelers always have new trucks and equipment with out of state vehicle tags. Often they will have no business markings or will give you an out of state business address or phone numbers. Don't be pressured. Ask for references, verify workman's compensation insurance, required permits from regional building, call the Better Business Bureau, but above all, don't pay in advance and don't pay more than the agreed upon price. Pay only after the work has passed an inspection. If you think you are dealing with a group of Travelers call your local police department so these people can be checked out.
i am a gypsy an i work fulltime i dont need to rip no 1 off som do i dont not all gypsys are bad ppl so b4 u judge us look at other ppi doing the same thing