A number of similar warnings have been issued in recent months regarding scam handymen operating in the US, Australia and Canada
Several police departments are investigating the scammers, who typically target elderly homeowners, that are making their way around New England.
According to police, the scammers are coercing victims into signing a contract on the spot for help with roof or chimney problems.
However, after a payment is received, they never return to do the actual work.
The scammers are described as white males with thick Irish, British, or Australian accents, according to police.
They typically present business cards for non-existent companies, according to a report on the local News 8 media station.
A number of similar warnings have been issued in recent months regarding scam handymen operating in the US, Australia and Canada.
In July, cops in the small US town of Southborough, Massachusetts, issued a public warning about an “Irish Traveller Scam” in the area.
The Southborough Police Department posted the warning on their Facebook page after a local opened the door to a man with an “Irish accent” who attempted to rip her off.
The police requested that everyone “remind your elderly loved ones/neighbours” that the scam “is still being conducted in the area”.
They write that a local department “had the following take place in their town”.
“A male knocked on the victim’s door on June 30, 2024. The male, who had an Irish accent, stated that he could remove the ivy from the victim’s chimney, and she agreed to pay $150.
“The victim indicated that the male party brought a ladder two days later and removed a small ivy area.
“He then told the victim that the chimney was damaged and needed work for $2,500; but since his guys were already up there, he could do it for $2,000.
“The victim declined to do the job. The suspect had left her property without his ladder. The victim removed the ladder from the roof, and the suspect never returned.”
The police add that the scams usually involve “a lot of pressure and quick talking sales tactics in order to scam the potential victim”.
“Once they receive the money, they usually take off and never complete the work,” the police department add.
Before strongly suggesting, “rejecting these types of repair offers and utilising a reputable area business to complete your necessary construction (if it is needed)”.
Again the police ask that locals “share this advisory with your friends, family, and neighbours”.
In a previous, unrelated case, a major “international” investigation was launched into the activities of two Irishmen who were arrested for their alleged roles in a roofing scam.
Dean Morgan and John McNamara were stopped at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York as they tried to board a flight to Dublin last June.
The have since been charged with theft and racketeering for their alleged roles in scamming Denver residents out of money.
And in Jnauaury two men with ‘Irish accents’ were arrested in Westchester County, New York, following complaints about aggressive “door-to-door solicitation”.
One of the men had entered a resident’s home without her permission while soliciting roof work, according the Harrison Police Department.
Police said both men with “ties to Ireland” were stopped and charged with soliciting without a permit, which is a violation of Harrison town code.
Harrison police said the two UK nationals admitted that they did not have a permit to solicit, nor licenses or permits to perform any home improvement work.
A Harrison resident had called police to report that while she was at home, an unknown man entered her home without her consent and attempted to solicit roofing work.
According to the Daily Voice, police soon arrived at the home and found 20-year-old Patrick Quinn and 26-year-old Thomas Stokes, trying to solicit roofing work from other Harrison residents as well.
While speaking to the pair, “who both had Irish accents”, officers learned that they were from the UK and had only been in the US for a short amount of time.
They claimed they were roofers but did not have a permit to solicit, nor licenses or permits to perform any home improvement work.
Quinn and Stokes were charged with soliciting without a permit and Quinn was also charged with second degree criminal trespass.