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is my house about to get robbed?
so a man rang the doorbell tonight claiming to be a salesperson for ADT. i didn't get a good look at his shirt, but it did look like there was some sort of logo on it. my dog was barking like crazy and i was holding him by the collar so the guy didnt want to get too close. he said there have been a lot of break-ins in CP and wondered if i knew. then he said "well, it looks like you have your own alarm system" (referring to my dog) and left.
i remember seeing posts of fake alarm people going around, casing houses and now i'm convinced i'm about to get robbed. for those of you familiar with the scam, does it sound familiar? ack...
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Re: is my house about to get robbed?
It's possible that he was a scam artist or thief. You are more likely to be targeted if you (1) tell them you don't have an alarm and (2) let them inside to do their "free safety assessment" which is really just casing out the place. With your dog, you are much less likely to be targeted, especially since your dog made him leave immediately.
If you are concerned, you can always call your local law enforcement. Tell them a description of the individual and that you are worried.
I might call the police just in case, to let them know you were concerned - maybe someone else in the area experienced this.
GL!
In my bag: Canon 60D, 50mm 1.4, Tamron 28-75 2.8, 430exii
I believe alarm salespeople are supposed to carry some kind of credential that they're licensed to sell alarm systems or something, but I could be wrong.
As to dogs being an effective deterrent, we used to think so as well, but this winter, homes in our neighborhood with dogs have been burglarized just as frequently as without - they've just been macing the dogs (which scares me terribly with two doggies at home all day - I'm less worried about my stuff getting stolen than some evil person doing something mean to my sweet, sweet dogs).
ETA: Sorry, didn't mean to be so depressing about the dog thing. When in doubt, call 311 to report them as a suspicious person - better safe than sorry!
I'd absolutely call 311 and report that, because it's pretty much the classic casing job from what I've heard.
I don't think you're at risk - your dog scared the guy off - but I do think the police would appreciate knowing there are possible burglars casing your neighborhood.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
Wow, how scary!! I doubt any legit alarm sales person would be scared off by a dog! That sounds totally shady.
I hope you do call 311 as pp suggested and alert the police about this guy.
Always better safe than sorry. Call 311 and you'll feel better.
It's NOT uncommon for a salesperson to leave because of dogs. I've had 4 big dogs (3 of them Great Danes that were/are sweeter than pie - our son has loved/draped himself across the 2 dogs that were living in his lifetime and they didn't flinch), and I've had a ton of people leave after hearing them BARK, nonetheless seeing them.
You're going to be safe, but calling gives an extra layer of security.