Scammers steal entire driveway from Florida woman's house

Depending on your perspective, scammers are either getting smarter or more desperate. Florida resident Amanda Brochu called her local police department after her driveway was stolen in late 2023, and law enforcement officials say she was the victim of a contractor scam.

Brochu told local news channel WFTV9 that she listed her house for sale in December 2023 after making miscellaneous repairs, including replacing the roof. Shortly after, her son said he spotted five different contractors measuring the house's driveway, an odd sight since the family hadn't contacted anyone about concrete work. One contractor explained a man named Andre identified himself as the landlord, asked for a quote to replace the driveway at Brochu's house, and gave the green light after receiving a $7,200 estimate. When he said he couldn't drop off a deposit, the contractor asked for full payment and proof of ownership, according to WFTV9. Andre stopped replying to messages.

When police caught up to the man, he explained that the incident was a mistake — he'd given the contractor the wrong address. And yet, the driveway disappeared about a week later, leaving Brochu with a muddy, uneven dirt road leading to her house. Her real estate agent looked into the theft and learned that, while driveways don't get stolen every day, reports of unwanted work being performed aren't unheard of.

Dry concrete isn't a valuable material, and the cost of tearing out a driveway undoubtedly exceeds the amount of money you can sell the rubble for, so what happened? As explained by our colleagues at The Drive, Brochu fell victim to an overpayment scam. Scammers look for houses listed for sale on sites like Zillow and specifically target empty houses — the scam is easier to pull off when there's no one home. When they find one, they pretend to own the house and reach out to contractors for an estimate on various work. It was a driveway replacement in Brochu's case, but it could have been roof- or paint-related repairs. The scammer writes a check for more than the sum quoted by the contractor, chalks it up to a mistake, asks for the money back, and pockets the difference after the original check bounces.

For example, if a driveway replacement costs $10,000, the contractor might receive a check for $12,500. After hearing "my bad!" a couple of times, the contractor refunds the $2,500 difference via check and that sum goes directly into the scammer's pocket. The contractor loses the money spent to perform the work requested and the $2,500 difference, while the person who actually owns the house unexpectedly comes home to find a new roof, new paint, or a missing driveway. WFTV9 notes inexperienced contractors are more likely to fall for the scam.