Bitumen bandits are targeting Birkdale.
The Office of Fair Trading issued a warning to residents in the Birkdale area after a group of door-to-door salesmen were seen offering cheap deals on asphalt for driveways and asking for upfront payments.
A spokesman for the authority said police had dealt with other instances of bitumen bandits making offers too good to be true, using watered-down materials and leaving before the work was properly completed.
He said residents should be wary if approached by traders offering bitumen laying or other home maintenance in return for cash.
It is illegal for door-to-door traders to take any upfront payments or deposits for services valued at more than $100.
"They often hand out business cards in an attempt to appear legitimate, sometimes carrying or mimicking the name of a reputable local business," the spokesman said.
Door-to-door traders must leave your premises immediately if asked to do so and consumers must have a 10-business-day cooling-off period and be provided with documentation to enable them to cancel the contract at any stage during that period.
Residents should also be wary of traders with no business address or those that can only cite a post office box, suite number, email address or mobile phone as their contact details.
Anyone who has concerns about traders who have approached them door-to-door should note a description vehicle registration number and report it to the Office of Fair Trading on 13 74 68.