HONOLULU -- A band of unlicensed driveway pavers suspected of scamming residents in several states on the mainland has showed up in Hawaii, state officials said.

The state on Friday cited five men for being unlicensed contractors, after stopping them right in the middle of a paving job in Nuuanu.

State investigators said they have been on the trail of these unlicensed contractors for several weeks now and caught them red handed while KITV was there.

State investigators and police converged at this house on Judd Street in Nuuanu at midday, stopping five men in the middle of repaving a driveway.

Investigators from the Regulated Industries Complaints Office of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issued $2,500 citations to five men for working as unlicensed contractors.

They did not want to answer KITV's questions. They did speak with state investigators who took their photos and wrote each of them tickets.

"It's a very old scam, and it's a familiar one to some people," complaints and enforcement officer Jo Ann Uchida said.

Uchida told KITV that the crews go door-to-door, offering discounted paving, often claiming they have some asphalt leftover from another job. However, the work is usually faulty and the price goes sky high.

"They might start out with a relatively low quote and then when they turn around and actually do the work, you're going to get an invoice for a much larger amount," Uchida said.

The homeowners in this case said they did not pay any money up front for the job.

State officials wanted the public that most legitimate contractors do not solicit business door-to-door.

"Any time somebody's coming to your door and telling you we have extra material, be it roofing or paving or siding or whatever. It pays to really look with a skeptical eye at what they're offering you," Uchida said.

She said consumers should also check with the state to make sure contractors they are dealing with are licensed and do not have complaints against them.

"They should ask to see a Hawaii license card, because the person may hold bogus cards from other states, or they may be holding cards that belong to other individuals," Uchida said.

Regulated Industries Complaints Office Tips For Consumers:

Hire a licensed contractor. Check licensure and complaints history at BusinessCheck.Hawaii.gov or by calling 587-3222.

Ask to see the contractor's Hawaii pocket license card and photo identification.

Be wary of deals that sound too good to be true. They usually are. Be especially skeptical of persons who show up at your door and offer to perform paving or roofing work with leftover materials from another job.

Pay as you go. Set a payment schedule that follows the amount of work completed and avoid paying the contract amount up front. Do not pay in cash.

Get it in writing. Licensed contractors will provide you with a written contract for work to be performed. The contract should include the contractor's license number, the price of the job, the start and completion date of the job, the work to be performed and the materials to be used.