Boise Police are warning residents in the Ellen's Ferry/ State Street area to be cautious about opening their homes to door-to-door salesmen.
"I received a call of a door-to-door solicitor in the area telling residents of a recent residential burglary in their neighborhood," Boise Crime Prevention officer Charlene Miller says. The man was telling residents he needed to do a "house security check to keep you safe" because of the recent burglary.
Miller says the resident who called the department said the man covered up the card on the lanyard around his neck when she asked what business he represented, and he would not answer questions. "He wanted access to her home, which she would not give him," Miller says. The resident said her persistence paid off and the man left.
BBB spokesman Dale Dixon says the resident followed precaution precisely.
"If you don't know the person at your door, and they do not have a valid city business permit to solicit door to door, don't let them in," he says.
BBB reports other recent door-to-door activities include free carpet cleaning, packaged meat, magazine subscriptions and vacuum sales.
Miller says he and others may be working their way through neighborhoods in the Boise area. There were no recent reported burglaries within the last few months in her neighborhood. "Please be wise if you open your door to solicitors, and don't let them into your home," she says.
Tips to help protect yourself:
•Avoid letting them into your home, as a general safety tip. Burglars are known to pose as salesmen to case a house they may be planning to burglarize.
•Ask the salesmen for written material about the company and let him know you are going research the company before making a purchase. Check the company's BBB Reliability Report at www.bbb.org or contact 208-342-4649.
•Verify the company has a recent city-issued salesman's solicitor permit for door-to-door sales.
•If you decide to make a purchase, ask for a dated cancellation form and a dated receipt. Note: The Federal Trade Commission Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers a three-business-day period to cancel a purchase. Saturday is considered a business day.
Robb Hicken is the media contact for the BBB serving Snake River Region. Reach him at 947-2115 or rhicken@boise.bbb.org.
