Couple Scammed Out of $10,000 by Road Resurfacing Crew

A family has been left with a $10,000 bill and an unfinished driveway after falling victim to a "bitumen bandit" scam. Thuc Vu and his wife, owners of a grocery shop in Renmark in South Australia's Riverland region, were approached last week by a road resurfacing company offering to work on their gravel driveway. A man identifying himself as 'Warren' told the couple the job could be completed for $10,000, claiming they had leftover bitumen from a nearby project.

Mr. Vu agreed to the offer, partly out of sympathy, but soon noticed the workers lacked the proper equipment. When he questioned them, the workers provided no clear answers and, less than two hours later, had left Mr. Vu with an uneven patch of bitumen. The crew then demanded an additional $21,000 to finish the job, at which point Mr. Vu realized he had been targeted by scammers. "Then I realised that is their plan," Mr. Vu told the ABC.

Mr. Vu's son, Vinnie, described the workers' use of a convincing "sob story" to pressure his father into paying. "My dad agreed to it only if they had enough product to cover the area. They used high pressure to get my dad to pay them," Vinnie said.

The Vu family, who will need to pay more to have their driveway properly fixed, reported the incident to South Australia's Consumer Business Services (CBS). The agency confirmed the family was targeted and is currently attempting to trace the bank account and phone number associated with the invoice. Commissioner Brett Humphrey stated that CBS is investigating whether this group is also responsible for five other similar complaints received in July. "It's hard to confirm that it is actually the same business, but the timing of it and the areas involved would indicate that at least they're involved with each other," Mr. Humphrey said. "These consumers have all been left with a hefty bill to fix the mess that has been left by this company."

It is understood that victims may need to pursue legal action for compensation. The Vu family is determined to prevent others from falling victim to similar scams.