We’ve all been in the situation before...It's late at night and someone comes knocking at your front door trying to make a buck. Whether it's from magazines, candles, or vacuum cleaners, it's something many people dread. And as quickly as the holiday season has come, many residents are seeing more solicitors and police are urging residents to keep a watchful eye out on would-be crooks.
It all begins with a knock …
“Hi there how are you?”
And most of the time that knock comes at the most inopportune times.
"If it is a stranger, I don't answer the door,” says College Station resident Fatma Kalkan.
"A lot of them are out there trying to legitimately earn a living," says College Station Lt. Chuck Fleeger.
But then again …
"Unfortunately sometimes people get involved as a means to do other types of criminal activity," Fleeger added.
Whether it is early in the morning or late at night, Fatma Kalkan says she very seldom answers the door to solicitors.
“It is very scary because you don't know what their intentions are," Fatma says.
One College Station mother we spoke to says she rarely leaves her twelve-year-old home alone, but “When I go to Kroger for 30 minutes, sometimes Ill let her stay at home, but even then, I tell her she is not allowed to answer the door. I don’t even care if it’s a friend, you just don’t do it.”
Police say now that the holidays are here, opening your front door could potentially become a direct invite to would-be crooks.
“If a person is wanting to steal your property, they want to do it quickly and with as little notice as possible," Fleeger says. "Generally they are looking to gain someone's trust and to avoid detection.”
Police say if you feel unsafe after an unexpected visit from solicitors, don't hesitate to call.
“If they do answer the door and they happen to get those fears again, tell the person [solicitor] to please leave and if they don’t leave then they're going to call the police. That is what we are here for,” Fleeger added.
Door-to-door solicitors are required to have a city permit.
"If the person is legitimate, then they'll have no problem producing it and showing it to them,” Fleeger says.
To view an image of the city permit, click on the “PHOTOS” tab above this story.
