I noted with interest that the woman who's been all over the news for assaulting her child is reputed to be part of the loose group of folks known as the Irish Travellers. The Travellers tend to be itinerant laborers who manage to maintain a relatively close-knit community despite being semi-nomadic and widely dispersed.

Believe it or not, there is a lot of information about the Travellers on the Internet, a big part of it devoted to attempting to dispel the bad reputation the Travellers have gained by (depending on your viewpoint) a) being unfairly accused of larceny and confidence schemes due to racism and bigotry, b) being unfairly accused of a variety of criminal activities due to people claiming to be Travellers and trading upon their good name, c) being unfairly accused as a whole of grifting due to the actions of a tiny minority of Travellers who have besmirched the good name of honest, hard-working Travellers, d) being quite fairly accused of tolerating or participating in illegal activity based upon the evidence, despite the yowls of protest that such accusations are stereotyping of the worst sort.

Whatever.

In general, around Alabama the Travellers tend to be in the home repair 'business,' a field which tends to be ripe for con men of all stripes and colors, not just Travellers. If you are anticipating doing home repair, it might be worth your time to check out this Better Business Bureau article or this article from the Federal Trade Commission dealing with the best way to avoid a costly mistake, or this little online test from the FTC about home repair scams.

Not that everyone who comes by offering you a good deal on repairs is a crook. Heaven forbid! But don't let anyone glader or byaig from ye, either.
posted by Terry at 3:05:00 PM