Two days ago 2 guys came to my house...

[festus]

Two days ago 2 guys came to my house...They claimed to be ADT representatives and wanted to know if I needed an alarm system to help fight crime in our area. The larger of the two fellows gave a first name of Ryan. They had shirts that had an ADT looking Emblem stitched on them. The mini van they were driving was an older dodge that had some kind of wrap on the side saying CRIME SCENE as a graphics logo. They did not provide a business card or a contact number when asked and did not do a good job of side stepping the question.

Here is the rub...I already have ADT. It is clearly posted at the property line. I called ADT and they confirmed that they DO NOT send ADT personnel into the field to canvas neighborhoods. Even if they did they would not harass an existing customer. They may have been a middle man trying to cash in on finders fees...OR...They could have been guys casing the place to look for weaknesses.

Why would guys pose as alarm techs? EASY! they can get into your house while "helping you" They will find all of your alarm zones, sensors, and keypad. They will be able to knock your place over at their leisure. DO NOT LET A ALARM SYSTEM COLD CALL SALESMAN IN YOUR HOUSE!

If you need an alarm, call the company and set up the appt. for yourself. Ask for references of the guy coming to install, and make sure that the techs name is the one they give.

Needless to say i did not let them into my house nor did I let them walk around on my property. My neighbor across the way flat out told them they were scammers and to leave or face the consequences. They left! The local cops have been contacted but I doubt anything will come of it.

[AvidshooterTX]

Funny, just a few days ago the same thing happened to me. There he was with an ADT sign in hand and an official looking shirt. He said he saw that I already had an ADT sign and I told him yes, we already have an alarm system. He told me that was ok that he wanted me to know if I referred anyone I could get $100 referral fee and he gave me a card. I did think it was odd that he didn't know I was an active customer but I did not call ADT to confirm his identity. I'll have to look for that card but I might have thrown it away. Now, I'm not one to give out any information. Even if my alarm was not active I would not have admitted that to him. And DO NOT ever give a wise-ass answer like "we don't dial 9-1-1 - we have plenty of guns". Guns are like gold to criminals. And they will stake you out and know when you leave. Once my small dog set off my motion detector when I was a half-hour away from home and I beat the local cops to my house. Nice, huh? Somebody can do a lot of smash-and-grab in that time.

Fortunately, I work from home. Often, when someone comes to my door in the middle of the day I will not answer it because I think they might just be canvassing to see who's not home. I will have a BIG surprise for them if they then decide to break in. I figure that's my community service for all the folks around me who have to work away from home.

[HK4U]

We own a family run security system. We do both residential and business alarms and teach the CHL classes also. A lot of company's will hire a people to go door to door to hand out fliers and knock on doors. I have seen ADT pull up in an area in a van and dump out a bunch of people to go door to door. They may come to your door even if you have a sign as they do not know if you are being monitored or just have the sign. Do not let anyone in unless they have state identification that shows they work for an alarm company. As a side note. If you have a security system I would suggest getting radio back up in case you phones go down. We offer that here at a good price.. ADT does of course also but quite a bit higher. They have to pay for all the expensive advertising and corporate jets.

[NMHunter]

I have seen fake ADT and other system signs so asking if you are a customer is not that far out of line. Otherwise, I agree, a cold call for a security system is not going to get anything but a NEGATIVE response from me.

[6shootercarry]

In a time when so many people are out of work the criminals come up with some good tactics to try and prey on the foolish. (Not calling you foolish Festus It made you suspicious..)

I was watching Fox news tonight and they were discussing a scam by members of a Mexican gang in which fake paychecks were being cashed over and over again by a few guys who kept changing their clothes etc. By the time the bank figured it all out they lost some 35,000 dollars in one day.

Robberies here are on the rise. The storms that we have been dealing with here and in NH have caused power outages along the coast, this allowed the local burglars to hit many of the homes.

This is a time when everyone, armed or not needs to be aware.

Peace...

[ronwill]

Times have definitely changed. Gone are the days when a stranger could come to your door on a rainy day and be invited inside or you could pick up a hitchhiker without to much worry. Now every stranger that comes to the door must be looked at as a possible threat to the family. It's sad but a regrettable fact.

[Cocked _and_Locked]

You don't have to work for ADT to install ADT alarm systems. Many independent security companies around the country sub-contract ADT equipment/service.