Corman Park Police Service is warning people after receiving complaints about a potential asphalt paving fraud.

The fraud involves paving companies offering to pave a person’s driveway or parking lot at a discounted price, saying the asphalt is leftover from a nearby project.

Once the work is finished and the person uses the surface, it cracks and disintegrates.

The companies leave before they can be caught and use deceiving business names to sound like they are government-affiliated. They will often also use fictitious business or postal box addresses so they cannot be contacted by victims.

To prevent falling victim to one of these scams, consumers are encouraged to do their research, get estimates and written contracts, and check the companies record with the Better Business Bureau.