BOISE -- The Boise Police Department and the Better Business Bureau are warning residents in Northwest Boise to be careful about opening their homes to door-to-door salesmen.
Police also say they received a call from a woman in the Ellens Ferry Drive and State Street area about a salesman going door-to-door telling residents of a recent burglary in the neighborhood and that he needed to do a "house security check to keep you safe."
The resident who called police said the man covered up the card around his neck when she asked what business he represented, and the man would not answer the questions. Police say the man wanted to access her home, but she would not let him in.
The woman said that her persistence paid off and the man left.
"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," says the BBB.
According to the BBB, other recent door-to-door activities include free carpet cleaning, packaged meat, magazine subscriptions, and vacuum sales.
Police say that the salesman and others may be working their way through neighborhoods in the Boise area and that there were no recent reported burglaries within the last few months in the resident's neighborhood.
Here are some tips from the BBB to 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.
