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QUINCY, ILL. -- As the warm temperatures see more and more people outside, it's also bringing out the home repair con artists.

Earlier this week, the Quincy Police Department reported that an elderly woman was scammed out of several thousand dollars by a scam artist who claimed they were going to seal her asphalt driveway.

The group of men allegedly intimidated the woman until she wrote them a check.

They immediately cashed the check at the victims bank, got the cash and left the area.

But according to police, there are some things you can do to prevent this from happening to you or someone you know.

"And if you feel intimidated that you almost have to tell them yes, the best thing to do is humor them at the time and as soon as you can, get away and call the police. Make a phone call, call the police right away. Get us out there, because when we get involved it's done. Whenever they hear the police are coming or are involved or we get out there, they're done. They're not going to try their scam anymore," Quincy police detective Tom Liesen said.

If by chance you think you're about to be a victim of a scam, you are encouraged to call the police immediately and let them deal with the alleged scam artist.