Tasmania Police are warning people to be wary of dishonest tradespeople after a driveway scam has come to their attention.

“Police have received complaints as well as anecdotal accounts of North West residents and businesses being scammed by tradespeople offering to seal and fix their driveways,” said Detective Sergeant Michelle Elmer.

“In these cases the work has been completed despite the work initially being declined.  The work completed has been of poor quality and they have charged highly inflated prices.

“The scammers spoke with English or Irish accents and used high pressure sales tactics saying they had left-over asphalt from a previous job which could be used for driveways.  They have attempted to intimidate and threaten people out of their money demanding immediate payment by cash or bank transfer.

“In these cases the scammers have provided what appears to be a legitimate business card and invoice.”

Police urge everyone to be wary of unsolicited approaches of this nature and contact police immediately if they feel unsafe or threatened.

Anyone who has been scammed or has received a scam attempt can report the incident to scamwatch.gov.au