Let This Story Serve As A Reminder, Especially For Older Folks, To Be Careful About Who You Do Business With On Social Media.

In the age of social media, misinformation and scams run rampant because its hard to verify or check if the people you're doing business with are reputable and most often they present offers and deals that are just too good to pass up.

Those deals, while they may look good on the surface, could end up costing you BIG TIME in the long run. The Smith County Sheriff's Office shared with us the details of a serial scammer who managed to run off with several thousand dollars of an elderly couple's money.

In March of 2020, an elderly couple in Smith County observed an advertisement on Facebook concerning asphalt paving.

The couple called the number in the advertisement and subsequently hired Timothy Mark Adams to asphalt their driveway. They paid Adams $3,000 in advance and never received any work according to a press release from the Smith County Sheriff's Office.

Smith County Investigators received this case as well as other similar cases on Timothy Adams. They also corresponded with Investigators in Hoover, Alabama who were investigating Adams for similar scams.

Smith County Investigators obtained two Felony Theft warrants on Timothy Mark Adams in 2020 as well as a Grand Jury Indictment through the DA’s Office. Adams skipped town shortly thereafter and even sent threatening messages to one of the victims.

Investigators discovered that Adams was scamming people in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.

On July 29, 2024, Smith County Fraud Investigator John Partlow received information on the possible whereabouts of Timothy Mark Adams. He found out that Adams was possibly staying in an RV park in Taylor County, Florida.

Detective Partlow corresponded with Taylor County Sheriff’s Investigators who were able to locate Timothy Mark Adams at an RV park in Perry, Florida. Adams was taken into custody on several warrants and is currently awaiting extradition to Smith County.

Here's Some Advice To Not Get Scammed...

To avoid getting got, here's some advice from Det. Partlow:

• Never hire anyone for home repair services until you thoroughly check them out.
• Never pay anyone up front for services until the work is completed unless they require money for materials during the project.
• Asphalt driveway scammers are one of the most prevalent forms of this type of fraudulent activity and cost victims thousands of dollars each year.

Be careful out there folks.