An Old Saybrook man was scammed after accepting an offer to have his car repaired at his home.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he turned down scams before. But when these men started doing the work, and one showed his driver's license, he was fooled.
"I never fell victim to a scam I can spot them a mile away," he said.
While most of the rust on his car is gone, it's still covered in compound.
The scammers followed him home from the Shop Rite in Clinton and started to work on the man's car immediately. Then they offered to fix the hood and fender the man's truck and asked for $500 cash.
"He says $500 for both cars. That was an extraordinary price for that kind of work," the 82-year-old veteran said.
"(The scammer) gave me his drivers license, he took his wallet out and said, 'here's who I am.' He was so forceful on my knowing who he was that I said this guy could not be crooked."
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But they preyed on his vulnerability. The cons said they'd be back the next day to finish the work and never returned.
"I said to myself, 'Dummy, stupid, you've been scammed!"
The man called 911.
That same week, an elderly woman called Old Saybrook Police after she was approached with the same kind of offer.
"Obviously it makes us sad because our job is to serve and protect and make sure that no one is taking advantage of anyone who is vulnerable. In this case, our elderly population," said Police Chief Michael Spera.
Police are still actively investigating and believe they know who these scammers are. They'll be charged with larceny and performing vehicle repairs without a license, Spera said.
According to Old Saybrook Police, if you want to make sure services are legitimate, call police. It'll either scare them away, or confirm it's the real deal.
