Watch out for Door-to-Door Scams

The typical door to door scams involve fraudsters who disguise themselves as representatives of a company or group with a goal of convincing you of paying for something you don’t need or want.  Or worse, distract you while they survey your home for valuables.

Some common types of scams include:

• College students doing part-time jobs to earn tuition money.
• Groups seeking to help troubled youth or a school’s sports team through fundraising or magazine sales.
• Home maintenance scams.
• Energy conservation scams.
• Home inspection scams.

 

Tips to protect yourself:

• Consider not opening the door people you don’t know.
• Be prepared to tell solicitors to leave.
• Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into buying something.
• Never give out personal information or bank account information.
• Never invite a salesperson or solicitor into your home.
• Obtain credentials and have them wait outside while you call the company to verify (look the number up yourself).

 

Not all solicitors are criminals, but you need to be extra cautious when an uninvited visitor comes to your door.  All door-to-door salespeople are required to have an intermittent vendor’s permit with the City of Sonora.

 

If you suspect that a door-to-door solicitor is not legitimate, please contact the Sonora Police Department at 209-532-8141.