‘Travelers’ come to Caldwell County

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

A troublesome brand of scam artists were noticed in Caldwell County this week.

According to reports from at least one Caldwell County resident, a group of Travelers (sometimes known as ‘Irish Travelers’ or gypsies) was spotted in Caldwell County.

“They came to the business and wanted to know if we were int

erested in having the asphalt recovered,” Jim Honeycutt said on Monday morning. “I saw the out-of-state license plates and recognized them as ‘travelers,’ so we told them we didn’t need anything done.”

Although neither the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office or Lockhart Police Department report any criminal activity by ‘travelers’ in the recent past, the itinerant scam artists often engage in a variety of schemes designed to swindle the unsuspecting out of large sums of money.

‘Travelers’ earned their name through the nature of their business. Often based in communal neighborhoods with other travelers, they move around the South during winter months and the northern United States in the spring and summer, offering their services to unsuspecting marks, and then relocating to another community after performing their swindles.

Many common ‘traveler’ scams center around handyman work. They often approach potential marks door-to-door, occasionally saying they have recently done work in the area and have leftover material. Travelers might offer to repave a driveway, seal a roof or paint rooms for a discount price using that “leftover material.”

Although ‘travelers’ accept payment via check, they usually have a number of false identities and cash payment checks immediately, leaving town before their victims discover they have been swindled. ‘Travelers’ often prey upon the elderly, and can employ hard-sell tactics to ensnare their marks.

If you think you have been approached by a ‘traveler,’ contact the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office at (512) 398-6777, or the Lockhart Police Department at (512) 398-4401.