Door-To-Door Scams
Door-to-door scams involve people selling products or services that are of a very poor quality, or are not delivered at all. It may include services such as home maintenance services such as pest control, garden maintenance, building or roof repairs, insurance or homecare products.
Some legitimate businesses sell their products this way, however
scammers also use this approach.
The person arriving at your door may appear warm, friendly and polite -
something they have practiced for some time.
They are trying to put you at ease so they can achieve their goal which may
include charging you for work you didn't need or agree to.
They may also be trying to get your personal details [asking you to take
part in a survey] or carrying out some homework for breaking in at a later
date.
To gain entry to your home, they may claim to be from a utility service such as the phone company. They may also want to demonstrate a product to you.
Be very careful who you let into your home! If you are feeling
uncomfortable, advise them to come back at another more convenient time, and
arrange for friends or neighbors to be with you when they return.
Ask to see their identification and call the company using a phone number
from the directory, not on their card or ID as this could be answered by
another scammer.
Check if they have a license or permit if that is required where you live.
Once you have sighted this, ring the office that issues them in your area,
using the directory to find the phone number.
Complaints received that fall under door-to-door scams include:
There are many other types of door to door scams that may be listed under
pyramid or multi-level marketing
[MLM].
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