Faulty bitumen laid by alleged scammers in nationwide con

The standard of work was "extremely poor" and consumer laws were breached by cold-calling customers, the WA state government said.

And they're allegedly not observing the required ten-business-day cooling off period.

This comes after similar reports of shoddy work and standover tactics used by "Bitumen Bandits" in far north Queensland, eastern Victoria and north-west NSW.

The WA government said it had received four reports of "fake" tradesmen with English accents targeting Perth, Goldfields and Great Southern areas since borders have reopened.

WA commissioner for consumer protection Trish Blake said "these reports of fake tradies on the move are the first we have received in a number of years since borders closed during the COVID-19 pandemic."

"But now that borders are opened, the fake tradies are back in business and targeting home and business owners with their high pressure sales tactics and carrying out dodgy work at highly-inflated prices."

Customers have been charged between $5,000 and $20,000 for the faulty work, the government said.

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The alleged scam is simple. The fake tradies cold-call houses and offer cheap driveway and carpark re-surfacing using bitumen they claim is "leftover" from a job nearby.

They then bill an inflated price for a thin layer of sticky gravel that normally lasts a few weeks and causes ruts to form in the next downpour.

Ms Blake said reports claimed "the surface is so thin it can't support the weight of a vehicle".

The fake tradespeople commonly ask for payment upfront and can allegedly become intimidating if the cash isn't handed over.

"They will then take their victim's money and quickly move on, making it difficult for their victims or authorities to catch up with them," Ms Blake said.

"Consumers looking to get bitumen work done should resist any approaches and sales pitches from these people. Instead, get multiple quotes from reputable tradespeople," she said.

"We urge home and business owners to be on alert and, if approached, send them on their way and contact Consumer Protection immediately to report their whereabouts."

Police said the warning signs of a scammer include:

To report travelling fake tradies in WA call Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 or email consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

Information including descriptions of the alleged offenders, vehicle registration numbers or business names used are useful, the government said.

To report to a national fraud hotline call 1300 133 408.