Is this a scam?

[Kevin]

Twice now, we've had people come to our door. Think door to door sales. Only it doesn't look like they have any paperwork or brochures with them.

We have a "No Solicitation" sign on our door.

But these two times stick out from all the others. Both have been later afternoon around 6 or 6:30 in the evening.

Each time I've opened the door and asked if they saw the "No Solicitation" sign.

Both have said yes, and then the first guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your truck."

The second guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your house."

Different guys probably 3 weeks apart. But the second guy was two days ago. So late Sunday afternoon. And all he had with him was a big water bottle.

Is there some scam here I can't understand? My daughter was home the first time, we were watching tv. She even wondered if it was a scam or not.

Usually the people just leave business cards for things like tree trimming or landscaping.

 

[Johnnu2]

OF COURSE IT's A SCAM. I suspect that they are waiting for someone who is OBVIOUSLY prone to a sales pitch of some sort (an old person like me..... or even better, an old woman). Then they lay into their routine.... new roof (your's is damaged ma'am; and while we're up there, why not upgrade to solar panels?).

J

 

[Yaworski]

"We're working in your neighborhood . . ."

Funny thing is that I never see any of those companies working in my neighborhood.

 

[TheTexasRAT]

Or they are thieves checking to see if anybody is home.

Need to add No Trespassing signs as well. Then just call the police as opposed to answering the door.

 

[Johnnu2]

I ALWAYS call the po-po when there are people going door to door AFTER DARK.
They never come back when three county patrol cruisers surround them and ask what they are doing.
J.

 

[MaxMan]

Twice now, we've had people come to our door. Think door to door sales. Only it doesn't look like they have any paperwork or brochures with them.

We have a "No Solicitation" sign on our door.

But these two times stick out from all the others. Both have been later afternoon around 6 or 6:30 in the evening.

Each time I've opened the door and asked if they saw the "No Solicitation" sign.

Both have said yes, and then the first guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your truck."

The second guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your house."

Different guys probably 3 weeks apart. But the second guy was two days ago. So late Sunday afternoon. And all he had with him was a big water bottle.

Is there some scam here I can't understand? My daughter was home the first time, we were watching tv. She even wondered if it was a scam or not.

Usually the people just leave business cards for things like tree trimming or landscaping.

Sounds like casing your house.

 

[Kevin]

I didn’t think about all these angles.

But to be clear, in the summer, it’s still light until about 8:30 at least.

Luckily we have two loud dogs that love to bark at people, even if they are walking on the opposite side of the street.

 

[Bad Barlow]

I didn't think about all these angles.

But to be clear, in the summer, it's still light until about 8:30 at least.

Luckily we have two loud dogs that love to bark at people, even if they are walking on the opposite side of the street.

Twice now, we've had people come to our door. Think door to door sales. Only it doesn't look like they have any paperwork or brochures with them.

We have a "No Solicitation" sign on our door.

But these two times stick out from all the others. Both have been later afternoon around 6 or 6:30 in the evening.

Each time I've opened the door and asked if they saw the "No Solicitation" sign.

Both have said yes, and then the first guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your truck."

The second guy said "I just wanted to tell you I really like your house."

Different guys probably 3 weeks apart. But the second guy was two days ago. So late Sunday afternoon. And all he had with him was a big water bottle.

Is there some scam here I can't understand? My daughter was home the first time, we were watching tv. She even wondered if it was a scam or not.

Usually the people just leave business cards for things like tree trimming or landscaping.

They are checking to see if anyone is home. If nobody answers, they feel it's safe to break in and rob you.

 

[eveled]

Definitely nefarious intentions.

Get a picture of their face and any vehicles. Call police.

 

[Jeepnik]

Waiting for a woman or invalid to answer the door.
Sadly, many older folks are too trusting.
My yard is fenced. You can't get in without out being let in. One evening a "salesman" showed up at the door. My wife opened the door, we have a security screen door as well, and with pistol in hand asked why he climbed the fence. He left rapidly.
Fences are a good thing. If someone climbs over it they aren't there to sell Girl Scout cookies.

 

[jimbo1096]

I think they were casing your house. Good time to get ring doorbell and cameras even if they are dummies.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

The "Traveling Irish" and the "Romani" (Gypsies) will get ya if you're not street wise.
They are professional cons that have honed their craft over generations. They can easily recognise an easy mark.

 

[blume357]

Scam is a big and varied word but I'd say they are looking to sell or get something for good or bad.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I would not expect the average person now days to know what "solicitor" means. If I answer, I point at my sign and tell them to not only leave my property but make sure and leave the neighborhood. I am protective of some of them having lived here before I moved here in 2005.

Sometimes the house with a sign has one because one of the residents is prone to scams and the other installed the sign. In my town, a permit (not that it does any good) is required to sell door to door or on the side of the road so there is no issue calling the law if someone is suspicious enough.

 

[Hvymax]

I like Trespassers Will Be Violated. Wake up the Gimp.

 

[Sam Summey]

I have recently had cell phone solicitations wanting to buy my house on (they recite my address). I shut them down but quick.

 

[Armybrat]

I get text messages almost everyday (ostensibly from named females) that claim to offer well-paying jobs.
“Delete and report junk” doesn’t slow down that robo trash one bit.

 

[magpouch]

I can't imagine why anyone would answer their door if someone unexpected knocks. I have no problem ignoring them completely...

My doors are locked and I am armed.

 

[Jeepnik]

A simple fence works wonders. Doesn't even have to be high. I have a decorative iron fence. But if the gates are closed folks are usually smart enough not to enter.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I've instructed my wife that if I'm not home do not answer the door if you aren't expecting anyone.
I typically go to the door but I typically have a gun in my hand, just behind my hip. Bad guys can tell I have the edge.
I carry at home and live in an established neighborhood, not high end but certainly an average neighborhood in a small, low crime town.
But I know bad guys especially young guys can appear anytime.
The most dangerous time for the homeowner is the typical time 8-5:00. That’s the time your home is the most vulnerable.

 

[Byron Bay]

Get a dog.
Put a beware of dog sign.
Surveilance system
Phone before attempting entry with your mobile phone number on it.
These steps are really necessary unfortunately .
A sign of the times.
Junkies are everywhere .

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I think they were casing your house. Good time to get ring doorbell and cameras even if they are dummies.

At the very least get a Ring type doorbell you can speak to them from a secure house without even going to the door.

They are not scamming. They are most likely timing your response and creating a distraction while others look for other means of intrusion not visible from the street/front. This is a preliminary tactic.

 

[Kevin]

At the very least get a Ring type doorbell you can speak to them from a secure house without even going to the door.

They are not scamming. They are most likely timing your response and creating a distraction while others look for other means of intrusion not visible from the street/front. This is a preliminary tactic.

We have gotten emails about this happening in the neighborhood. They will ring the front door, and when you answer, someone is breaking into the garage (garages are off the alley in the back around here.)

But as too the “Beware of Dog” sign. I’ve always heard that is an admission of guilt in court. If your dog does bite someone that is.

Our old dog, Blizzard, he would love to bark at people at the door. I would stick my finger in his mouth to see if he would bite me. Nope, he just quit barking. He was a pacifist.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

We have gotten emails about this happening in the neighborhood. They will ring the front door, and when you answer, someone is breaking into the garage (garages are off the alley in the back around here.)

Yep its a common tactic...

 

[ArizonaTea123]

I have people almost everyday trying to get me to join an MLM (multilevel marketing) pyramid scheme. Pills, crypto mining, lotions, potions, vitamins, mushroom coffee, magic ion beams, magnetic weight loss, magnetic health mats, healthy tonics, organic herbs, blue alge spirulina, fish or cow cartilage, vibrating quartz crystals, stem cell extraction, etc....
I keep telling them I'm retired and I don't need any extra income.

 

[XP100]

Answered my door Monday to a couple of guys wearing badges that had AT&T on them. I asked why their company hired people that couldn't read. One of them said WHAT. I pointed out the sign on my door that said No Soliciting and said must be you can't read. I live in an HOA community that does now allow solicitors.

 

[Yaworski]

But as too the "Beware of Dog" sign. I've always heard that is an admission of guilt in court. If your dog does bite someone that is.

When my cousins lived in the City of St. Louis, anyone with a dog had to have a "Beware of Dog" sign.

 

[Sam Summey]

I get text messages almost everyday (ostensibly from named females) that claim to offer well-paying jobs.
"Delete and report junk" doesn't slow down that robo trash one bit.

I just got one of those texts via my I-Phone

 

[Track14]

i had a similar thing happen earlier this year with two guys, one stayed at the gate keeping it open with a No Trespassing sign on the gate. I greeted them with two very barky , puffed up, german shepherds a 44 snub nose pointed at the ground trigger finger indexed under the cylinder. They were backing up when the dogs popped out the front door,,, they finally noticed the 44 and left. They went to my neighbors house with a different sales pitch so i reported them to the police and showed them the video and described the revolver i was using. The cop asked "38?" and i replied 44, its more accurate. He smiled.

 

[Track14]

A simple fence works wonders. Doesn't even have to be high. I have a decorative iron fence. But if the gates are closed folks are usually smart enough not to enter.

my insurance said No Trespassing was sufficient and that Beware of Dogs was implying the dogs were dangerous and possible leaving me open to liable if they bit somebody. If they are defending you then thats ok.