SoCal city warns the public about fake curb painting scam

CALIFORNIA – The city of Victorville is alerting residents and the surrounding community about a potential scam targeting the area.

The city said it learned that people falsely claiming to be with the “City of Victorville” are painting house numbers on curbs in neighborhood streets, then requesting payment from homeowners.

Victorville joins a list of Southern California cities, including Monterey Park, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside, that have reported the same scam, with some cases dating back to 2011.

Request for $20 after painting curb

City officials have received reports of scammers painting house numbers on curbs in neighborhoods near Luna and Amethyst Roads, then going door-to-door requesting $20 payments by check made out to ‘cash.’

If the homeowner refuses to pay, the scammers then blackout the home numbers or mark over them.

According to city officials, Victorville does not paint house numbers on neighborhood curbs.

The City of Victorville has not contracted or authorized any outside agency to paint house numbers or perform work at residents’ homes on its behalf.

In addition, the city said Victorville employees will never collect payment for legitimate services at resident homes. Instead, bills for city services are mailed.

The city said in rare circumstances when Victorville employees must visit resident homes for safety checks, water audits, and other official business, they will wear official City of Victorville uniforms with proper identification.

Residents can report blacked out numbers to Graffiti Hotline

In response, Victorville Public Works crews will proactively canvas the affected neighborhood to remove black paint and markings that are covering home numbers on curbs.

Residents who have had their house numbers blacked out or marked over can make a report to the City of Victorville’s Graffiti Hotline by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling (760) 261-2222 to request removal.