Westbury, Carle Place Residents Being Warned About Door-To-Door Scammers

WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- Long Island residents are being warned about a scam targeting homeowners. Residents in Westbury are being urged to be on alert about suspicious door-to-door sales people.

One Westbury woman is concerned for her safety after a woman came to her door last Friday offering to fix her roof and put in new windows, but refused to show ID.

"Do you have a card? She said 'no I don't really have a card on me unless you go ahead and sign something that you're going to get windows and a roof with us' and I said 'sorry,'" the woman told CBS 2's Mark Morgan.

Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallero said the woman's experience is part of an ongoing scam that has targeted Westbury and nearby Carle Place. People go door-to-door offering bogus services.

"Our sense, in talking with the at the police precinct, is that it may be some kind of casing operation to see which houses are occupied which houses are empty -- maybe for future criminal activity like burglaries or what not," Cavallero said.

Cavallero also said the scheme could involve the promise of services, asking for money up front, then the scammers would take off with the cash.

Cavallero says he has received over a dozen complaints in the last week of door-to-door salesman offering everything from driveway repair to roof replacement. He warns residents to be on the lookout for suspicious cars with out-of-state license plates.

"Obviously we need to be aware of what's going on and who's knocking on our door, and if somebody is selling something, they should have something in their hand saying what they're selling," said Westbury women who asked not to be identified.

Until the scammers are caught..caution is the word of the day. Westbury officials will discuss the scam during a public meeting on Monday.

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