NORTH BAY - A local business operator is urging others in the North Bay area to be cautious after a disturbing encounter with a suspected paving scammer.
On Wednesday, August 13, a man claiming to work for a paving company approached the business, located off Highway 11 North. The same business had been scammed two years ago by a similar operation, losing $13,000 in a deal that resulted in asphalt dissolving within days.
This time, the business operator took immediate action.
“I took pictures of the man, his truck, his licence plate and ended up inadvertently with a short video after he grabbed my phone from my hands and accidentally pressed the record button in the commotion,” he told BayToday.
“I demanded my phone back, and having a couple of employees behind me, he gave it back, cursing and swearing at me to not take his photo.”
The situation escalated quickly.
“Once back in his truck, he yelled he was going to run me over. He stepped on the gas, spinning his tires, running his truck towards me. I was able to place my hands on the hood and jump back towards a forklift,” he said, adding that an employee was on the phone with police during the incident.
Photos and a video of the suspect and his truck have since been shared with police, who arrived on scene about two hours later. The business operator says it was the same officer who responded when the company was first scammed.
Back then, the scammers appeared legitimate, he says, arriving with heavy-duty equipment, issuing an invoice with an HST number, business address, and website.
“Everything looked okay,” he said. But within days, the pavement dissolved “like a sandcastle” after heavy rain.
The recent scammer allegedly introduced himself as "James" from “Prestige Contracting,” claiming to subcontract for a local paving company.
“He said, ‘We’re subcontracting.’ I said, ‘I don’t think you are.’ Then I pulled up Google Maps and showed him: ‘Prestige Contracting’ doesn’t exist in North Bay.”
According to the business operator, the police told him that unless the suspect is caught in the act or still in the area, there's little they can do. The officer described the operation as “organized crime” and part of a broader fraud network that travels across the country.
This incident comes just days after North Bay Police issued a warning about contractor scams, including reports of homeowners losing thousands of dollars to fraudulent roofers and pavers.
See: Homeowner loses $12,000 in roofing scam, police issue alert
The business operator in this incident chose to speak out in hopes of warning others.
“If we can help one person not be scammed, that’s a win,” he stated.
Police encourage anyone approached by unsolicited contractors to verify business credentials, avoid cash deals, and report suspicious activity.