88-Year-Old Orcutt Woman Says She Was Scammed for $700
ORCUTT, Calif.
An elderly Orcutt woman says two men scammed her out of hundreds of dollars in a driveway paving scam.
The lady says two men showed up and took her for $700 and left her with a driveway coated with a black, rubberized gunk. She says if she can save just one person from going through the heartache she’s going through right now by sharing her story, it’ll be worth it.
“I had a knock on the door and I’m legally blind and handicapped and it takes me a little while to get there,” Fayetta Niss said, who says she was scammed.
88-year-old Fayetta Niss says two Fridays ago, two men showed up in the early evening and told her she was in desperate need of driveway repairs.
“And he said oh I’ll have it all just smooth and it won’t have all these bumps and cracks,” Niss said.
She says she was told to stay inside and close all the windows and doors because of the dust that would be kicking up from the work.
“I told him ok, he said it would be 700 dollars in cash or a check,” Niss said.
It wasn’t until the next morning that she says she saw that the men sprayed down a black rubberized gunk on the driveway but didn’t do any real repairs or fix any cracks.
“He talks a mile-a-minute and says nothing,” Niss said.
She says the $700 dollars was her savings for her taxes this year.
“I only get $709 a month to live on so it really hurt,” Niss said.
So we decided to give the number on Fayetta’s receipt a call. We left a message.
Reporter: “She claims that you guys ripped her off for $700, if you can give me a call back here on my cell..”
But then just minutes later the number actually called us back…
Reporter: “Hi yes, are you with Harry D. John Asphalt Maintenance and striping?”
Just to be hung up on.
“Find the Lord and start doing things honestly,” Niss said.
The Sheriff’s Office says a legitimate contractor is required to carry a Contractor’s License and to be cautious of contractors who require an upfront cash payment.
Between the 5 and 6 pm newscasts, an anonymous woman came by, who saw our 5 pm newscast. She found Niss’ name and address in the phone book and came by to write her a $700 check to help her out.
