Trust no one?
Cindy on August 25th, 2008
The young man ringing the doorbell looked clean-cut and harmless. Opening the door, I assumed he was one of my son’s friends and greeted him with a smile. But the kid turned out to be a con artist posing as a needy college student.
âI’m selling magazine subscriptions to help pay for school tuition,â he began, racing through his spiel and waving a laminated brochure in my face. âYour neighbor Bob told me to stop by. I grew up in this neighborhood,â he added, motioning toward the next street, which he named correctly. This kid had done his homework. We do have a neighbor named Bob — but our Bob would never tell a solicitor to drop by and pitch magazine subscriptions. Smelling a scam, I said no and quickly shut the door.
âThe reason you don’t recognize me is because I’ve been away at college,â he shouted as the deadbolt clicked. Yeah, right. I might have believed his fairy-tale had I not fallen for the same trap several years ago when, duh, I wrote a check for two magazine subscriptions to another young con artist posing as a student. My check was cashed but I never received the magazines. I still turn red thinking about it, but I’m older (and a bit wiser) now, so I’m going public with my shame in the hope that others might be spared a similar rip-off.
Despite the âNo Solicitingâ signs posted at both entrances to our home, all kinds of salespeople ring our doorbells and pound on the front door, often interrupting dinner or a deadline. Some claim they didn’t notice the signs. Others insist they really aren’t âsolicitingâ but are collecting for a worthy charity or campaigning for God.
Door-to-door soliciting used to be little more than a garden-variety annoyance. But where I live in the Midwest, automotive companies and manufacturers announce layoffs or plant closings almost weekly, and our regional economy is sagging. Car theft and household burglaries are on the rise in our neighborhoods. Meanwhile, local police have traced several burglaries in my suburban neighborhood to thieves posing as door-to-door solicitors. We’ve formed a Neighborhood Watch group to keep everyone informed and on alert.
Regardless, I still find it hard not to answer a knock at my door. (What if it’s a delivery person? Or one of the neighborhood kids?)Â But as my husband reminds me, solicitors aren’t invited guests, and I have every right to ignore them.
These days, I’m learning to peek through the front window before opening my door to anyone. And, as the police advised our Neighborhood Watch group, I don’t judge anyone by appearances. Solicitors often dress professionally to earn confidence — sometimes carrying official-looking clipboards and bogus permits. Of course, not all solicitors are con artists, but now I find it hard to trust any stranger who comes to my door. Honestly, I never used to be like this. I miss the days when I opened my door to everyone, and my welcome mat really meant what it says. –Cindy La Ferle
August 25th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for sharing openly the dilemma of a solicitor’s spiel at your doorstep. It raises so many mixed feelings in me–particularly the magazine salespeople. My brother got caught up in a magazine “crew” once. They prey on needy kids and then treat them like indentured servants, making it very hard to quit the crew. I always imagine the kid at my door could have been my brother, and try to think of a way to help with a little cash they can hide in their pockets–without supporting the system. But it’s so hard to think on the spot when your privacy has been invaded.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Cindy, I understand how you feel.
The solicitor you encountered was particularly slick, but you learned from your first encounter with a con artist. I’ve walked door-to-door in our area for informational causes, and I’ve appreciated when people have opened the door for me — but I understand well why they might not. One time after a suspicious encounter with a solicitor, I called the police and asked about it. They advised me to ask: “May I see your permit to solicit in (name of town)?” Then you could ask, “Would you care to wait while I verify that with the police?” For solicitors who call or come to the door, I might not answer if I don’t recognize the person. If I do pick up the phone or open the door, I try to be respectful, but I never open the screen door despite their attempts to hand me something. If I say “no” and they keep talking, I tell them, “I said ‘no.’ Bye.” Then I just hang up or close the door.