Fraud and Scam Awareness: Door-to-door swindles
It would be a shame if we couldn’t allow ourselves to trust people who come to the door. Many reputable salespersons, charity solicitors, and service persons rely on being able to freely visit people on a door-to-door basis. On the other hand, there are scam artists who take advantage of people’s natural inclination to trust strangers.
Home repair hucksters
The favorite sales pitch of door-to-door home repair swindlers is a variation on the following: The person has been working in your neighborhood and has enough material left over to do your house at a favorable price. These swindlers specialize in roof repair, roof coating, driveway coating, house painting, tree trimming, and lawn fertilizer application.
They typically use inferior materials, and their workmanship is almost always very poor. They usually pressure victims to pay in advance. If they get the money up front, they often disappear without doing the work. They may promise anything to make the sale: unconditional long-term guarantees, full refund if not satisfied, and use of your home as a model (with payments to you for referral business). Promises are worthless, because these swindlers can never be found once paid.
These swindlers use the hard sell—you can only get this deal if you act immediately. Some swindlers will outrageously increase their cost for the work once they finish the job. They may claim they had to use more materials than they originally estimated, or they may claim you misrepresented the amount of work needed. If a victim objects, the swindlers become abusive and intimidate the victim into paying.
Pest control scam artists
The door-to-door pest control swindler typically offers prospective victims a free, no obligation inspection for home-destroying insects. These swindlers usually claim to find a pest invasion of emergency proportions. Such swindlers may have a handful of termites or insect larvae in their pockets. Such swindlers also approach homes with the claim that they "happened to see a big problem while in the neighborhood."
The hard sell follows. Victims are told that if treatment is delayed, their house will be damaged beyond repair. Of course, the victim will "enjoy" a price for treatment well below standard rates. Victims of such swindles pay for unneeded pest control treatment. The supposed service may be done poorly or with completely worthless sprays.
Phony charity solicitors
Door-to-door charity swindlers are never at a loss for legitimate charity efforts to claim. Favorite schemes include solicitations for the following: to sponsor activities for disadvantaged youths, to purchase Bibles for the poor, to finance programs for the aged or infirm, or to promote missionary work. Charity swindlers typically will accept only cash donations; they frequently use high-pressure tactics; and they are extremely reluctant to answer questions about the organization they allegedly represent.
Strong arm subscription sales
In some communities, door-to-door magazine subscription sellers use the hard sell to pressure the elderly to buy magazines they don't really want. In many cases, the swindlers use intimidation and veiled threats to frighten elderly victims into buying large numbers of subscriptions. The victims may later find they could have bought the magazines for much less money at a newsstand. Dishonest door-to-door swindlers may use a variety of deceptive sales pitches: they are working their way through school; they are in a management trainee program; they are in a contest and need only a few more sales to win; or they are working to support some charitable organization.
Precautions for avoiding door-to-door swindles
- Always ask to see some identification
- Always report suspicious door-to-door salespersons, fraud, deception, or
misrepresentation, to the Department of Consumer Affairs
- Ask the seller to provide you with notification of your right, in writing, to cancel
the sale (if applicable)
- Ask to see a Home Solicitation Sales Permit issued by the
Clerk of the Court (in most cases they must have one to sell door-to-door)
- Call the charity’s number (in the phone book) which the seller claims to
represent—verify that they have someone soliciting donations in your area
- Call the police if the door-to-door salesperson becomes abusive, uses intimidation,
or makes veiled threats
- Check out the sellers and their business organization by
calling the Better Business Bureau before agreeing to buy
- Consider whether you really want the offered product or service
- Don't accept pressure to make a hasty purchase—a legitimate business operator will
give you time to consider
- Don't sign a contract which doesn't explain your rights
to cancel or discontinue service
- Get another expert opinion or estimate when
door-to-door salespersons claim that repairs, pest control, or other services are
necessary
- Make sure your contract has the name and physical address of the seller
or business organization
- Never sign contracts which contain blank spaces
- Only sign a contract if you carefully read it and fully understand it
- Pay attention to even your slightest doubts—whether you need something, want it, or
can afford it
- Pay for services only after all work is complete and you have
checked to see that work was properly done