READ: Theft-by-swindle Crime Alert on Rice Creek Boulevard

A homeowner in the 500 block of Rice Creek Boulevard (just south of ) was the target of a door-to-door scam last Thursday, according to a crime alert issued by the Fridley Police Department.

A man identifying himself as representing A-1 Blacktop knocked on the homeowner's door and offered a reduced-cost deal on a small repair job. The homeowner signed a blank contract, only to have the entire driveway treated and the man ask for $5,200. (A-1 Blacktop isn't a licensed solicitor with the City of Fridley, according to the alert.)

Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud said he couldn't provide details about the incident "because the case is currently under investigation." He added: 

The victim did lose some money, but we are not disclosing the amount at this time. This is an occasional problem that we see once or twice a year.

Fridley police also issued a warning about similar door-to-door scams, with advice about how to spot a swindle—for example: "If it is too good to be true, it is!"

See both the crime alert and scam warning that are uploaded as PDFs to this post.