(Apologies in advance.
Ok so there’s a really long backstory here on this.
This became national news last week.
First off, shout out to this Shea Stevens guy.
Talk about putting in the work.
No brainer by Shea.
He said they had over-ordered materials.
Rehm turned the Traveller away, but others weren’t so savvy.
“It is crazy how much money can be made,” the informant said.
“it’s possible for you to make $100,000 a week.”
Still, plenty of people got taken.
And only a handful of Travellers got arrested.
“These people are very, very good.
They are masters at their trade.
And that’s how Travellers like it.
Once a deal is made, Travellers often hire transients or undocumented workers to do the actual work.
“We get the work and stay clean,” the informant said.
“We just drive by until it is time to get paid.
The work is usually substandard, according to the informant.
The paint might be watered-down or the driveway paved with a thin layer of asphalt.
Once Travellers get their money, they disappear before the homeowner figures out that they have been duped.
Experts on Travellers say it’s all about the money.
“If they can get $3,000, they will charge that.”
“The more you have, the more you want,” the informant said.
Live like a rock star, go on the finest vacations, stay in the finest hotels.”
These guys are true scum.
“It is handed down through the generations.
How do you know it is wrong?
It is your way of life.
You are never taught that it is wrong.
It is what you are raised to do.
We are raised to believe that everyone is a mark,” the informant said.
Most of the Travellers contacted by the Star-Telegram did not return messages or declined to comment.
Here is the convo I had with Shea, the guy who dug all this up on these lowlifes.
Bizarre, bizarre stuff.
At the same time, it’s entirely consistent with the norms of 2024.
Going out in public to start fights where they can outnumber and intimidate workers and defenders.
That is a scene straight out of King Arthur or any other medieval-era fiction.
Props to Biz yet again.
They get a post office box, buy license plates and get 1-800 numbers through a telephone answering service.
Afterward, they may tell the homeowner that there was a problem and charge more than the agreed-upon price.
Once the homeowner hands over the check, the contractor immediately cashes it.
When the driveway washes away or cracks, the swindler is long gone.
All the homeowner has is a phony address and a 1-800 number.
Selling lightning rods
This is a scam that can be pulled on a rainy day.
Once the sale is made, the worker goes up to the roof and puts up the rod.
The work is fraudulent: The worker neither has the proper permits nor ties into electric or phone lines.
The worker then charges the homeowner $1,000 or more.
Painting
The worker offers to spray-paint a homeowner’s barn or house.
The paint mixture is diluted with water or another substance.
The finished job lasts two or three months before the paint blisters and discolors.
By then, the worker is gone.
The worker goes up on the roof but applies either diluted oil or a substance that is no good.
The worker, who likely gave a false name, leaves before the homeowner figures it out.
- possible tweet of the year
