Last night on the local news, the reporter covered a scam that’s going on in the Tassanoxie area. It goes like this. A well dressed young male knocks on your door. When you answer, he tells you he’s from the utility company and they need to cut down a tree on your lot. Would you come with him so he can show you the tree and get your okay?
You put on your shoes and follow him out into the yard. While you’re busy being nice and helping the phony utility guy, an accomplice slips into your unlocked, hopefully empty house, and steals your stuff. I’m guessing they know you’re the only one home before they knock at the door.
Naturally, they target older folks who tend to be accommodating to polite, well dressed young men. I bet that senior citizen wouldn’t be near as nice to a scruffy, tattooed guy wearing a Hell’s Angel vest. The shotgun would appear and scruffy guy would be invited off the premises.
But the scammer is dressed for the part which means you have to be alert. How often do the bad guys on television wear company uniforms to gain entry for nefarious means? All. The. Time. Where do you think the scammers get their ideas?
Back to the utility scam. First of all, utility companies have a ten foot right of way around your lot. They can do near about anything they want to do to trees that get in the way of the utility poles. Think about it. All those weird looking trees lining the highways didn’t grow that way. They were made lopsided by utility company chain saws.
As far as I can tell, the utility company isn’t into chopping down your tree, they’re more into trimming it into an odd shape.
Major point: utility company worker bees don’t need to come knocking at your door to get permission to do anything to the trees on the utility right of way.
Problem is, we Southerners tend to be a courteous bunch which probably makes scamming us a lot easier than scamming other folks. (Yeah, you know who you are.) So, what are you to do when a stranger comes knocking? First of all, remember you don’t haveta open the door. If you’re dying to find out what they want, talk to them through the door. Ask ‘em who they are and what they want. Don’t fall for fake IDs. If you’re not expecting someone from the telephone company, tell them you’re going to call their supervisor because you don’t have an appointment. If you’re alone, act like somebody’s in the house with you.
As for the utility company scam, beware of any well dressed young man who knocks on your door and says he’s from the utility company. And when he wants to show you a tree on your property they need to remove, call 911 and report his young, well dressed butt to the police.
Naturally, they target older folks who tend to be accommodating to polite, well dressed young men. I bet that senior citizen wouldn’t be near as nice to a scruffy, tattooed guy wearing a Hell’s Angel vest. The shotgun would appear and scruffy guy would be invited off the premises.
But the scammer is dressed for the part which means you have to be alert. How often do the bad guys on television wear company uniforms to gain entry for nefarious means? All. The. Time. Where do you think the scammers get their ideas?
Back to the utility scam. First of all, utility companies have a ten foot right of way around your lot. They can do near about anything they want to do to trees that get in the way of the utility poles. Think about it. All those weird looking trees lining the highways didn’t grow that way. They were made lopsided by utility company chain saws.
As far as I can tell, the utility company isn’t into chopping down your tree, they’re more into trimming it into an odd shape.
Major point: utility company worker bees don’t need to come knocking at your door to get permission to do anything to the trees on the utility right of way.
Problem is, we Southerners tend to be a courteous bunch which probably makes scamming us a lot easier than scamming other folks. (Yeah, you know who you are.) So, what are you to do when a stranger comes knocking? First of all, remember you don’t haveta open the door. If you’re dying to find out what they want, talk to them through the door. Ask ‘em who they are and what they want. Don’t fall for fake IDs. If you’re not expecting someone from the telephone company, tell them you’re going to call their supervisor because you don’t have an appointment. If you’re alone, act like somebody’s in the house with you.
As for the utility company scam, beware of any well dressed young man who knocks on your door and says he’s from the utility company. And when he wants to show you a tree on your property they need to remove, call 911 and report his young, well dressed butt to the police.
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