Police warn door-to-door sales are rampant this summer

Door to door sales are not illegal, say police, but residents should be alert for scams. With the warm weather, solicitations are on the rise. Photo used under a Creative Commons license courtesy Alexa Fades Away. 

How often does someone you don’t know knock on your door?

“Too often” might be the answer from many Midtown residents.

And today, Jim Schriever at the police department tells us  “our neighborhoods are being saturated with door-to-door sales” this summer.

He says one of the most frequent consumer scams is the door-to-door scam.

Here’s more from his message:

Not every door-to-door salesperson is dishonest but when someone solicits you at home you should be extremely careful and follow these guidelines.

• If you are unsure if a solicitor is legitimate, ask for identification verifying that they are employed by the company they claim to work for. If they don’t have any I.D., don’t give them any money and tell them to leave.
• If solicitor refuses to leave after being asked to, or becomes irate, shut the door. If they still don’t leave, call 911.
• If you don’t feel comfortable giving the solicitor any money DON’T! Do not let anyone “guilt” you into giving them money or buying their product.
• If you’ve already purchased something from a solicitor, and have paid by check and no longer feel comfortable with the transaction, cancel the check as soon as possible.
• Do not believe stories such as “I live in your neighborhood,”or “My car is broken down just around the corner,” etc. If you don’t recognize this person as one of your neighbors, they’re probably not. If their car is truly broken down, offer to call them a tow truck.
• At no time should you let any of these people in your house! Not even to use the phone.
• Do not hire anyone who comes to your door offering to clean your house, do home improvements, etc. and definitely do not give them any money before they do any work!

Remember, door-to-door solicitation during daylight hours and voluntarily giving them money is not against the law.

Not providing services paid for and not leaving private property when asked to is.

Please share information with your neighbors when a suspicious person is in your neighborhood and DON’T give anyone money when you don’t feel it’s a legitimate cause.

What do you do when a pushy salesperson comes to your house?