When a young man came to Andre Balderrama's door in May and offered to refinish his driveway for a reasonable price, Balderrama was suspicious.
He'd heard of this scam before.
"They usually say they did it for your neighbor last year," Balderrama, a South Riding resident, said. "What it ends up being [on your driveway] is just motor oil."
Solicitors who ask for $250 or $300 up front to refinish driveways are often known as "travelers" or "gypsies." They show up in the spring when it's time for a little outdoor touch up.
Sometimes they just paint the driveway with motor oil and make their exit. Other times, they'll steal what they can from garages or homes while a partner attends to the driveway in what's called a "distraction theft," said Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell.
Balderrama had recognized the young man as possibly the son of the man who had approached him last year. This time, the older man was driving a truck as the younger man knocked on doors.
Balderrama asked the younger man for his last name, which he refused to give.
SOLICITORS are required to register with the Sheriff's Office before doing business. Any legitimate solicitor should have identification from the Sheriff's Office on him, Troxell said.
"In some cases, they prey on the elderly, do a shoddy job and intimidate them into giving more money," Troxell said.
He added that it was difficult to say how many arrests the Sheriff's Office has made, because some arrests are of legitimate businesses who have not yet registered with the Sheriff's Office.
Solicitors who have registered with the Sheriff's Office should be able to provide contact information about their business and employer.
"This is something that is also the homeowner's first line of defense as well, to ask information," Troxell said.
Anyone suspecting the presence of travelers in a neighborhood can report it to the Sheriff's Office's non-emergency line, 703-777-1021.
— Suzannah Evans