Door to Door Sales

Many community members have questions about how to handle door-to-door sales people in a way that ensures the safety of their home and their family. While some door-to-door sales programs are legitimate, it’s often hard to tell.

Criminals will often knock on the door of a home they are intending to break into to determine if the residents are home or not. Unfortunately, daytime break-ins are common because most people are away from their homes during the day.

Sometimes, those knocking on your door won’t pose as salespeople but as a neighbor with a lost dog who needs your help, or has some other urgent issue. While this is sometimes a real situation, it’s often used as a way for someone to canvas a neighborhood to find out who is home, and perhaps what is in each home. If you are home and you do open your door, you are giving a possible burglar a great view of the valuable items in your home.

Here are a few tips to help keep you safe when someone comes knocking at your door.

•        Use peep-holes to determine who is at your door, and your porch light on in the evening. Motion detection lights are always a safe bet for entrances.

•        Refuse to open the door to anyone you don’t know or aren’t comfortable with.

•        Talk to sales people through the door and let them know you aren’t interested. Most products being sold door-to-door can be obtained by contacting the company directly or online via their website.

•        Never give door-to-door salespeople personal information or disclose that you are home alone.

•        Utilize “No Soliciting” signs near your door.

•        If you suspect a door-to-door-salesperson is not legitimate, take note of details you can observe without opening your door, such as the person’s personal appearance including height, approximate weight, hair and eye color, clothing description, and description of a vehicle if applicable.

•         Contact the Sheriff’s Office and your neighbors and put them on alert!

For more information or if you have questions, please contact our Community Policing Unit at 919-718-4561 ext. 5607 / 5608 / 5629