Using Video Surveillance in the Fight Against Door-to-Door Scams
Video Surveillance & Its Role In Protecting You Once upon a time, someone could knock on your door with a carpet cleaner in their hand and ask you if you wanted to see a legitimate demonstration of the product. This was a way in which many companies achieved sales and how salesmen made a living for their families. The door-to-door sales job was a real job and it could be lucrative for some. Unfortunately, things have changed and that has created a home security risk. Slowly, these jobs were phased out because of increases in scammers claiming to be salesmen when they weren’t. They have also gotten very good at their sinister craft over time, making themselves extremely convincing. They will have that vacuum or carpet cleaner on-hand, as well as a free laundry detergent sample or another free gift for letting them do an in-home demonstration. While there are still some true door-to-door salespeople out there, most are just there to case your home. Many are getting caught because people are realizing the importance of having video surveillance systems with cameras around exterior doors. Types of Door-To-Door Scams In Rochester, NY and other communities, there are solicitation laws. For instance, Rochester has a Peddling and Soliciting law that says a commercial traveler needs to acquire a license to commence operations within the city or Monroe County. The cost of that license is $250 and it is good for six months. However, it doesn’t stop there. A bond in the amount of $5,000 also needs to be executed by an insurance company or surety company licensed to do business in New York. The purpose of the insurance is to protect the citizens from fraudulent or false sales practices by the licensed people. It is wise to ask a door-to-door salesperson for proof that they are who they say they are. Talk to them through the door rather than opening it up. Many home surveillance systems have caught alleged salespeople pulling on the front door if no one answers, pulling on car door handles and looking in windows. These actions indicate that the person is up to no good. As for the types of scams, here is what Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and other parts of the country are experiencing: The meat company scam – A person comes to the door saying they are from a meat or food company and they want to make you a deal. The vacuum or carpet cleaner demo scam – Kirby still has some salespeople going door-to-door these days, but they will most likely have proof they are supposed to be there. Electric company scam – A person claiming to be from the electric company comes to the door and asks to see your bill for one reason or another. Security system scam – A legitimate security system company is never going to come to your door and ask to do a free estimate. Home improvement – Beware of a person claiming to be a construction worker comes to your door telling you they will fix your roof, siding, or fence for a portion of the money up front. You will never see them again. Syracuse, Buffalo & Rochester Video Surveillance Systems Protecting Your Family Having a video surveillance system installed around the doors of your home can prevent a fake salesperson from victimizing more people. In different parts of the country, the footage has even been shown on local news channels when it is determined the person is not who they say they are. They almost always get caught thanks to homeowners that take that extra step to protect what’s theirs. To learn more about how you can protect your home with video surveillance, call SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348 or complete the contact form below and we will get back to you ASAP.
Protect Yourself Against Phone Scams
Identifying the Most Common Phone Scams What is this world coming to? Not only do we have door-to-door scammers, email scammers, and internet scammers but now scam artist have come up with new ways to scam the people that they are calling – through phone scams. And it should be noted that some types of phone scams can lead to a robbery. They might be putting out feelers to identify who is in the home, if there is a security system in place, and much more. Despite technological advances, telephone scams are getting more and more popular as a way to steal someone’s identity. Scam artist find it easier to do this type of scam and on their end a little safer because it is harder to catch the scammer doing it. There’s no paper trail like there can be on the internet. Plus, they are able to manipulate caller ID systems to make them look like something they’re not. Recently, there has been a new phone scam called “Can You Hear Me Now?” This scam is a way for the scam artist to access the sound of your voice that is recorded on the scam artist’s end. After the question “Can you hear me now?” is asked and you say “yes,” the scam artist will then say that you have agreed to something. During all the small talk back and forth, the scam artist is gaining access to your personal information or anything else that might be on your phone. Scam artists may use many other questions to gain access to your information. Some other questions they might ask are: Are you the lady of the house? Are you a homeowner? Do you pay the household telephone bill? Scams like this are being more and more popular and there are many ways that you can protect yourself from them. Protecting Yourself From Theft Through Phone Scams Don’t Recognize Phone Number: If there is ever a time that you don’t know the number calling or it says restricted, chances are it is someone you don’t know. If that ever happens, just let the call go to voicemail. Scam artists don’t ever leave messages and if it is someone other then a scam artist, they will leave a message. Act Slowly: Don’t always rush to answer your phone. Chances are if you are rushing thinking it is someone you might know and answer the call, you could end up being a victim of a targeted scam. Look carefully at all calls before answering and leaving the unknown numbers to go straight to voicemail. Don’t Answer Any Questions Over The Phone: Answering questions over the phone lead to information in many ways being leaked to the scam artist. Even the littlest details can help a scam artist gain access to your personal information. Never Give Out Information: No matter what, unless you initiate the call when buying anything over the phone, don’t give out your information. If a company ever calls you about an item that you have purchased, there are questions you can ask to verify the caller is really from the company you have purchased your item from. Don’t Pay: If you are ever ordering anything over the phone, the company that you order from normally doesn’t call you to initiate a payment. You as the customer always call the company to pay for your purchases. Never give out your payment information or social security number to an unknown number. One favorite tool of scam artists is asking for wire money transfers. If you ever hear the word wire transfer, you can be sure that it is a scam. Contact Your Rochester Security Company and Protect Yourself More! Take action now to be safer when answering the phone. You never know what scam artist is going to be calling next. If you have any questions on how to stay safe contact SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348.