What Really Happened With That Stolen Driveway in Tennessee
Introduction
The Truth Behind Tennessee’s “Stolen Driveway”
HOW A COMMON SCAM LEFT A HOME WITH NO CONCRETE
If you've been on social media in Tennessee lately, you've probably heard about the stolen driveway.
And if you're like most people, you're probably thinking there's no way that's real.
I can assure you - it's real. The driveway is gone.
Just dirt where concrete used to be.
This story has been going around, and a lot of people are confused about what actually happened. Some think it's a joke.
Some think someone literally stole a driveway to resell it somewhere.
The truth is actually worse than that.
This is a scam that's hitting contractors all over Tennessee right now.
And what happened to this concrete contractor could happen to any business owner who's not paying attention.
It cost him thousands of dollars, days of work, and now he's got to fix a problem he created while trying to do his job.
If you're a contractor, you need to hear this story.
And if you're a homeowner with a house on the market, you need to know this can happen to your property too.
What My Wife Saw When She Showed Up
My wife is a real estate agent here in the Chattanooga area. She shows houses all the time. It's a normal part of her day.
She had a client who wanted to see this particular house. It was a fairly new home, nice property, listed for sale. Nothing unusual about it. She pulled up with her client ready to do a showing.
No driveway.
Not like it was cracked or damaged. It was completely gone. Just dirt where a concrete driveway used to be. You could tell it had been removed recently - like within the last day or two.
She was confused. Her client was confused. They're standing there looking at this house with no way to actually park in front of it. And nobody knew what happened.
That's when the story started coming together. Turns out, this wasn't vandalism. This wasn't someone stealing concrete to resell it. This was a contractor who got scammed so badly that he tore up someone else's driveway for free - and now he's on the hook to replace it.
How the Scam Actually Works
Here's what happened to this contractor, and what's been happening to contractors all over Tennessee.
Someone contacts you out of the blue. They say they're from out of state or out of the country. They tell you they want to hire you for work on a house - in this case, a new driveway.
They give you an address. It's a real house. It's actually for sale right now. They tell you they're in the process of buying it and they're about to move in. They want the work done before they get there.
And here's the first big red flag that this contractor missed: they don't negotiate with you at all. You give them a price, and they just agree. No questions. No pushback. No "can we do it cheaper if we use different materials?" Nothing. Just "yes, let's do it."
For a contractor who's used to fighting for every job and dealing with customers who want discounts, this feels great. It feels like you finally found an easy client who trusts you and wants to move fast.
That's exactly what they're counting on.
The Check Trick That Traps Contractors
So now the scammer has agreed to hire you. You think you've got a legitimate job lined up. They tell you they're going to send you a check to get started.
The check shows up in the mail. But it's for more than what you quoted. Maybe you said the driveway would cost five thousand dollars, and they sent you a check for seven thousand.
Then comes the setup: they tell you it was a mistake, or they tell you they need you to do them a favor. Since they're out of town and can't handle it themselves, they need you to take that extra money and pay another contractor for them. Or pay a delivery guy. Or cover some other expense related to the house.
They're very apologetic about the mix-up. They make it sound reasonable. And they're trusting you with their money, right? So you want to help them out.
Here's what happens next. You deposit that check in your account. It shows up in your balance after a day or two. Looks like it cleared. So you write a check to whoever they told you to pay, or you give someone cash, and you send that money on its way.
Then you start the work. Because you've got money in your account and a job to do.
Five days later, the original check bounces. It was fake. And now you're out whatever money you sent to that other "contractor." Plus you've already started tearing up a driveway that nobody actually hired you to touch.
Why We Don't Just "Slow Down" in December
Some businesses pretty much shut down between Thanksgiving and New Year's. And I get why. It's the holidays. Work is slow. Why not just take it easy and gear back up in January?
Here's why we don't do that.
First, customers still have problems in December. Water doesn't stop getting into crawl spaces just because it's Christmas. Moisture doesn't take a holiday break. If someone's got a musty smell or standing water under their house, they need help now. We're not going to make them wait until January.
Second, our crew needs work. These guys have families and bills just like everyone else. If we slow down too much, they're not getting hours. They're not getting paychecks. That's not fair to them.
Third, this is when you set yourself up for success in the new year. If you coast through December, you're starting from zero in January. But if you stay active, keep doing inspections, keep building relationships, then when everyone's ready to tackle their home projects in January, you've got momentum. You're already moving.
Josh and I both know that the slow season is when you either position yourself to win or you fall behind. So we keep showing up. We keep doing the work. And we make sure we're ready when things pick back up.
What This Contractor Did Wrong
This concrete guy made many mistakes, but they all come down to one thing: he started work without a deposit.
He never had a real phone conversation with this customer. He never met them in person. He never saw any proof that they were actually buying this house. He just got an address and a promise of payment and went to work.
Think about that. Would you normally start a job worth thousands of dollars without ever talking to the customer? Without meeting them face to face? Without getting any money upfront?
No. But when someone makes it seem easy, when they don't give you any pushback, when they agree to your price right away - it's tempting to just go ahead and get started.
That's what this contractor did. He showed up at that address and tore out the existing driveway. Jackhammered it. Hauled it away. Got the area prepped for new concrete.
And the whole time, he was working on a house that belonged to someone who had no idea any of this was happening. Someone who was just trying to sell their home and move on with their life.
Why This Contractor Is Now in Deep Trouble
Here's the reality this contractor is facing now. He tore up a driveway that didn't belong to him. The homeowner never hired him. Never agreed to have their driveway removed. Never signed anything.
So now this contractor has damaged someone else's property. And he's liable for it.
He's got to go back and replace that driveway on his own dime. That's thousands of dollars in concrete, labor, equipment, and time. Money he's never getting back. And he's got to do it while still running his business and trying to make a living on legitimate jobs.
His reputation is taking a hit too. This story is all over social media. People are talking about the stolen driveway, and his name is attached to it. Even though he was the victim of a scam, it still makes him look bad. It makes him look careless.
And the worst part? The scammers got away clean. They're probably running this same con on another contractor right now in another state.
Red Flags Every Contractor Needs to Know
I've seen this scam attempted on me multiple times. It's always the same pattern. Here's what to watch for.
First, they won't get on the phone with you. Everything is through email or text. They'll make excuses about being busy or being in a different time zone, but they'll never actually talk to you.
Second, they won't meet you in person. They'll say they're out of town, out of state, out of the country. They're always somewhere else.
Third, they don't negotiate. Real customers ask questions. They want to know why something costs what it costs. They try to find ways to save money. Scammers just agree to whatever you say because they're not planning to pay you anyway.
Fourth, the check is always for more than the job costs. Always. And they always have a reason why they need you to send some of that money somewhere else.
If you see any of these red flags, stop. Don't move forward. It doesn't matter how good the job sounds or how much you need the work. It's not real.
Protect Your Business
If you're a contractor reading this, learn from what happened here. Be vigilant about who contacts you for work. If something feels too easy or too good to be true, stop and think it through.
Always require a deposit before you start any work. Make it a policy in your business that you don't break for anyone. That one rule will protect you from scams like this and from customers who don't pay.
And if you're a homeowner with a property on the market, keep an eye on it. Make sure your real estate agent is checking on it regularly. Don't let your house become part of someone else's scam.
This stolen driveway story is real. It happened right here in Tennessee. And it can happen again if we're not paying attention.
Stay smart. Stay safe. And don't start work without a deposit..
