Traveling scammers cause concern among RV park owners

We’ve posted scam alert stories before. Usually, we’re warning readers to be on the lookout for scammers targeting RVers. This time there’s a twist: The traveling scammers are RVers, preying on local communities they visit. It’s a twist on the old “traveling” construction company scam, and it’s causing alarm among RV park owners.

Traveling scammers hit Connecticut campground

The latest outbreak of the construction scam game has turned up in the Northeast part of the U.S. In one case, a British citizen, Billy Dean Castle, was busted at a Connecticut campground. Castle, 27, was nailed on larceny charges. Turns out Castle, and a host of accomplices staying at the Skyridge Trails Campground in Torrington, were allegedly fleecing locals with bogus construction work offers.

Skyridge Trails owner Lelah Campo was the one who tipped off police. Campo has a construction industry background and found it suspicious when Castle checked into her campground. Castle said he and his friends were doing construction jobs around the area. But Lelah noticed the only construction equipment the group of English- and Irish-accented guests had was a single ladder and a pressure washer.

Lelah hit the computer and found reports of locals being “taken” by phony traveling construction workers. Armed with that information, she contacted both local police and federal agencies.

$16,200 for chimney fix—but no bricks or mortar appear

Lelah was right about her “guests.” Turns out that at the end of June, Billy Dean Castle and an accomplice told an elderly man they’d fix his chimney. They’d need $16,200 up-front to buy materials. In a not-so-unexpected move, they collected the man’s money, telling him they’d be back the next day. They didn’t show up.

After Castle’s arrest at the RV park, the prosecutor seemed satisfied with his paying the man back his $16,200 and cut him loose. No word on how soon Lelah sent him packing.

Lelah’s BOLO

For her part, though, Lelah Campo wants other park owners to have their own BOLO—be on the lookout. She’s warning RV park owners to watch for—and be suspicious of—those who might turn out to be traveling crooks. In a story carried by Woodall’s Campground Magazine she says to watch for these signs:

• Irish/UK passports
• Brand-new cars with various state plates, often temporary tags—usually driven by the wives
• Lightweight work trucks with no company logos, often with minimal tools despite claims of construction work
• A preference for cash payments or prepaid VISA cards
• Traveling with children, wives, and sometimes an older generation (their parents)
• The men are articulate, clean-cut, with Irish/British accents and do most of the talking
• The women wear heavy makeup, false eyelashes, and flashy/revealing clothing
• The children often roam the campground freely, dressed in fancy, non-American-style clothing

Lelah says watch out for these behaviors

• They typically arrive the same day they make contact, starting with a couple of campsites and expanding over time.
• They book for a week or more, extend their stay, and then leave abruptly—usually a few days early.
• They often request refunds when leaving, which should be refused. They tend to leave quickly, with little notice, and often cause damage on their way out.

How RV park owners can deal with the issue

When something smells fishy to Campo, here’s how she responds. She demands copies of IDs, and does so in a routine way. On check-in, she registers all vehicles, using license-plate reading software. Instead of allowing security video footage to “write over” itself, she saves it. She takes deposits for utility use and keeps a close eye on suspicious customers. Lelah says they can seem charming, but can be vindictive.

“As campground owners and managers, we are on the front lines of identifying and stopping these con artists,” Campo said in the Woodall’s story, adding that an investigator with the Department of Homeland Security told her that hundreds of English and Irish con artists are operating in the U.S. Traveling scammers, indeed.

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