A South Australian family is $10,000 out of pocket after falling prey to a travelling “bitumen bandit” scam. Thuc Vu, owner of a Renmark Asian grocer, was approached by men posing as tradies who claimed they had leftover bitumen from nearby roadworks.
“But my kindness was put in the wrong person, the wrong people,” Vu told 7NEWS. The family paid $10,000 for the job, but received shoddy work and demands for more money before the men would finish.
Family's hard-earned money lost
“I feel really sorry for my parents because I know how hard they worked to make that money,” son Vinnie Vu said. Consumer and Business Services is investigating, chasing the bank account and phone number on the invoice.
The agency is also looking into whether the same group is behind five other reports in July alone. Commissioner Brett Humphrey said, “Often the consumer pays in cash and there’s no follow-ups that can be done. These consumers have all been left with a hefty bill to fix the mess.”
Family warns others
The Vu family has accepted they may never see their money again. “We’ve accepted the fact we’ve lost the money. Our goal now is to spread awareness and hopefully try to stop families from going through the same situation as us,” Vinnie said.
