Got hit with the Dawn dish soap scam

[Terry G]

Several scams that I noticed lately. Couple pull up in my driveway. Guy gets out and introduces himself saying he was opening Kirby vacuum center in town and was getting that information out into the neighborhood. We live 15 miles from town so I suspected something right away. Driving around talking to people who live in the country isn't cost effective advertising. He ask if he could demo a vacuum and I said we already have one that works fine. Yeah but this one will work better on your carpet. I said we don't have any carpets, all hardwood. Asking too many personal questions and questions about the neighbors will always get my attention and he was asking a lot of those. Sent the guy on his way and wished him well in his new business.

Wife just got a text saying she had a bill from our hospital and she could pay that using the link. I checked our billing with the hospital website and nada. Total scam.

Same thing happens with texts from the DOT for tolls on a local freeway. I never use that freeway so pretty easy to know those are scams.

I try to be nice to people but it's becoming harder everyday.

Yes, the Wife and I get them a day apart on our phones. They say the Illinois Toll Road which I would have to travel over a hundred miles to get to. And why the Hell would I want to go to Illinois anyway?

 

[oldbrownhat]

I once saw a sign on a house that read, "this homeowner is armed and prepared to defend his property. There is nothing here worth losing your life over". Sadly, up here in Canada, if you use lethal force in defense of yourself or your property you can expect to be forced to jump through legal hoops until you're broke trying to defend yourself. One guy beat all 27 garbage charges laid by the crown but it cost him $60,000. in legal fees. Dogs are great if you're in a position to take good care of one. I have my own protocols to take of unwanted intruders.

Was that the guy in Ontario (a retired firearrms instructor IIRC) who had the unimaginable temerity to retrieve his .38 from his safe and fire a warning shot at two guys who were setting fire to his garage? I remember the Cdn. firearms community got together and ponied up a lot of cash for his legal defence.

 

[brkbeatjunkie]

Regarding "homes vacant during vacation, or any time for that matter" for what it's worth - don't light up the outside of your property so bright that you can't actually see the house. If the lights are too bright any police patrolling won't be able to see anyone hiding or wandering on the property. Signs saying "Beware of Dogs" are great also, even when you don't have any, who's to know until it's too late ...

A indoor light on a smart timer that turns on and off in 10-20 min intervals is also very good to have. It looks like someone is home.

 

[decuerno]

I’m married to a smart girl. But she’s good hearted and polite and unwilling to be “harsh” to strangers.’ We live on a large rural piece of property.

One afternoon a couple years ago we enjoyed a loving experience, after-which I dozed off. I awoke about an hour later… put my clothes back on….and walked into the kitchen where she was doing some baking. (How do women Do That..?… get energetic after amorous activities?)

Anyway, as I was pouring some coffee she explained “a strange thing happened while you were sleeping… A white van pulled up into the yard… two guys got out and said they were meat-purveyors and had delivered meat to a BBQ place out here somewhere and had more meat than the BBQ place needed…Would we like to buy some at a discount?…”

“WHAT!”, I said.

“Yes, but I told them we have a freezer Full of meat and didn’t need anything and they left.”

I simply couldn’t believe the woman to whom I’m married for 30 years could be so oblivious to the danger of her walking out of the house to visit with two stranges while her husband was down the hall asleep in his b-day suit.

(But after I gave her the lecture …she’ll never do THAT again!)

We never discovered how they got thru the security gate either…but I changed it out to a more robust gate right away.

I called the sherriff’s office and reported the two and gave a description of the van…but nothing ever came of it…and in-fact, the dispatcher didn’t seem to understand the problem at all.

Here’s something EveryOne should emphasize to their family: THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT you’ll likely expeience in your lifetime….is when YOU ANSWER THE DOOR TO A STRANGER.

Be Prepared to DEFEND yourself. EVERY TIME!
Tell your loved ones Don’t Even Open the Door to someone they don’t know. Talk to them THRU THE DOOR!

Have a plan for Immediate-Defense handy AnyTime you meet a stranger at the door! No excuses…EVER!

 

[VincentW]

I was sitting on my front porch when a small white Toyota pulled up in front of my mail box for a few seconds then pulled into my driveway. A young girl, about 19 or so, gets out of the passenger side and starts up the walk way, babbling as she came up the steps. She walked right up to me holding a large bottle of Dawn. She said I didn't have to buy any thing but if I let her vacuum my carpet or clean something she will get $25 towards her scholarship. I politely declined her BS offer but she was very persistent and said she could come back Tuesday or Wednesday. (trying to determine when I might not be home?) Told her if she came back she would be wasting her time because the answer would be the same. NO! The continued her disjointed pitch but finally gave up and went back to the car. Then the driver got out and walked up the steps and up to where I was sitting. He wanted to go into the house to vacuum the carpet too Who vacuums your carpet he asked. Answer, my wife and I. Oh, your wife lives here too? I'm smelling a rat and it stinks. He finally gives up and they drive out of my cul de sac without stopping at any other houses.

I told my wife about it and she does an internet search on the subject. To our surprise, the Dawn dish soap scam is all over the country, with a few minor variations. They want to get inside your house to case the joint, simple as that. These two were not convincing at all. In fact I could tell they were both blowing smoke from the start. For a moment I thought about shifting my seating position to reveal the little 317 in my right pocket but decided against it.

This used to be a quiet neighborhood but the crazies are are creeping up on us.

I’ve got a big, sweet black lab/pit mix who hits the front door so hard when someone approaches, they usually don’t stick around long. If you don’t have a furry best friend like that, maybe consider rigging up a recording of a loud, deep bark paired with some good door-shaking sound effects—just enough to make people think twice.

Truth is, my guy’s a two timing, total softie and would warm up to just about anyone… but hey, no need to share that part with the world.

Be safe,

 

[GaryS]

I'm thinking of starting a door mounted Claymore mine company. The problem is that I'd have to sell them door to door.

 

[Mr. Vito]

After every thunderstorm, the scammers offering roof repairs show up. I have been told that many of these crooks are from the South Carolina area, and called "travelers", who will ask for a deposit for the roof work, and then disappear. I have no idea if this is actually the case but there is no doubt that roof repair scams are pretty common.

 

[GaryS]

This is very common in Texas. Last year when I was getting bids to repair our roof two of the companies that came out warned me about this. I suspect that the third company was one of them.

Texas does not require a license to install roofs, so there are a lot of fly by night outfits. What you describe are "brokers" who will do exactly as you describe. The "companies" change their names and phone numbers every few months so it's impossible to track them down when inevitably something goes wrong. With the company we used, there was one minor glitch and they sent a guy out to fix it immediately.

The unsuccessful "bidder" was $5,000.00 less than the company we hired. Their bid didn't specify materials, brands, or anything else. Just "Replace Roof" and a dollar estimate. No thanks.

Slightly off topic, but here's another scam. Movers. When we were prepping to move, we needed to hire a mover. I did a lot of research and found out that there are moving companies that are only brokers. Once you sign with them, they sell the contract to someone else.

Someone else shows up, loads your possessions, and then tells you that the price has gone up. Since your contract is with the broker and the broker has moved on, you either pay or the mover takes you possessions away and holds them for ransom.

We ended up using Mayflower which is very reputable.

Roofers. Anytime a storm passes thru the area… roofers you’ve never heard of are all over town offering “free estimates” and promising a new roof that will absolutely Not cost more than your insurance will pay. (Implying a free new roof for you.)

I have a mother-in-law who remarried late in life to a man with a son-in-law who is always in some other state doing “construction”. The SIL drives new cars and appears to have a wad of money all the time.

Then one day, a large group of storms came thru the area and the SIL asked me if he and his son could come up to the ranch for a couple days while they bid on some “construction” jobs in the next town. I said “sure”. (after-all…they’re family…kinda…)

But here’s his deal. (I overheard him sitting out on the porch at night teaching his son the “ropes”)
They drive thru neighborhoods …(with a magnetic sign on their pickup door indicating a “bonded” roof-repair business (fake name)…where roofers are working a wide-area of hail damaged homes…looking for homes with no work going-on. They walk up to the owner and offer a “free inspection/estimate” which they guarantee to not cost a single dime if damage is found.
The owner lets them up on the roof…they find a few hail-dings…they measure the roof and produce an estimate…and ask the owner for the name of the insurance-carrier. The owner tells them, and they promise a new roof which will cost the owner “zero…absolutely Zero”…for a new roof. They then get the owner’s insurance Policy-Number.
NEXT, they drive to the local building supply and watch for roofers who come to pick up supplies …roofers who pay CASH for their supplies. (These are the no-name guys from out of town with no charge-account with the building supply company… in other words… “travellers”. They usually have a bunch of brown-skinned workers in the pickup bed.
SIL and Son then go to their “leader” and offer the roofing contract with the Insurance Policy Number on it to the “leader” for 25% of the estimate. (A $10K roof SIL/Son makes $2500… CASH.) They pocket that 25% and hand the estimate to the travelling-roofers (who will present their billable-estimate to Insurance for payment)….and the “bonded” SIL/Son then Disappear. Home Owner never sees them again…and a Slap-It-On roofing job goes on the house.
And, Oh-Yeah.. That 20-year shingle guarantee the “travellers” offer the home owner… is only good against the mfr’r of the cheapest shingles that were installed…. Nothing for labor. Good Luck to the Home Owner collecting that.

Moral: Only deal with established local roofers in your area which have a history/reputation of staying In-Business IN your area.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Last year I had an interesting encounter with a sales person who wouldn't leave. I had just returned home from the range and was unloading things from the back of my car and my garage door was open. I was in the middle of unloading the car when a young Hispanic male dressed in a knit shirt with a business logo and a hat with the same logo and a clip board approached. He approached me but was still in my driveway when I asked him if I could help him. It was obvious he was selling something and I asked what he was selling. He responded that he wasn’t selling anything and said he was new in the community and wanted to know if I could recommend a good church. I told him my wife and I used to attend one in a nearby town where we had lived but when we moved it was just too far to drive. He persisted and I said there is a church on every corner and I couldn’t recommend one because I didn’t know anything about his faith or him.

I then confronted him asking what he’s selling and he again said nothing but started to walk into my garage. I told him I was armed and it wouldn’t be a good idea to walk any farther into my garage or he would regret his decision.

We exchanged words and laughed at me and I informed him there’s a sign at the entrance of the subdivision prohibiting solicitation and told him to leave or I’d call the police and he finally did.

I went ahead and called the police and reported the incident. The police arrived within a couple of minutes and asked a few questions. The police officers drove away then one returned about 5 minutes later. The officers partner was detaining two young men working my neighborhood and the officer asked what I’d like them to do with the two men. I said I thought a warning would be in order and he agreed.

We live in a small community and the police really look out for the residents. They patrol all the neighborhoods and if you call them and tell them you’ll be on vacation they’ll add patrols to check your house.

Were it me, and the police asked what I wanted done with the two, I'd a responded in a voice loud enough for them to hear "cut off their right hand".

 

[.38SuperMan]

Were it me, and the police asked what I wanted done with the two, I'd a responded in a voice loud enough for them to hear "cut off their right hand".

Good idea cutting off their hands but not sure my voice would carry 3 blocks

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

The signs are a joke to all.

What ya do is hire an old man who doesn't give hoot about getting older to stay in your house and eat your food .......He will shoot the dirtbags and enjoyed his new found fame.........OR iffen ya have a backhoe..........All evidence with simply disappear..............Lots of old abandon wells about too.