Home Security:
SCAM-IN
Home Defense
Many women worry about the sneakiest of criminals – and here's how to take control. You will be more secure and feel more secure by following the guidance on this page. Knowledge is power.
Scam-Ins are clever lies to trick you and get past your home security. (He won't look as obvious as the guy in the photo above.) You're about to learn vital lessons from scam-in victim's innocent mistakes.
Someone knocked on a home's front door in a quiet California neighborhood. The homeowner saw a woman through the peephole and opened the door. Two hidden men rushed past her into the house.
In suburban Pittsburgh, a woman was clearing snow from her driveway when a man approached and distracted her in conversation as three other men sneaked into her house on a country road where everybody felt safe.
You can stay safe by making it a habit to use simple security-products-alarms or DIY Home Security Systems.
You'll also protect yourself from all sorts of scams. Here are a few examples:
EVER CLEVER SCAM-INS
On an Oprah TV show, to demonstrate how easily people fall for a scam-in, a hidden camera recorded a male staff-member pretending to be a police detective. He wore an ordinary business suit with a phony police ID tag printed on ordinary paper, and knocked on the doors of 100 homes. They all invited him in.
Two criminals knocked on the door of a Pennsylvania home claiming to be looking for a lost dog. When the homeowner opened his door to get a better look at the photo they held, they pushed-in and robbed him.
Roger Broadway had just been released from a Tennessee prison when, in front of a halfway house, he was hired as a door-to-door magazine salesman. His employer went around in a van picking up any salespeople they could find. Broadway knocked on the door of Eskalene DeBorde, 66, got into her home, and murdered her.
Also, beware of any unexpected delivery driver wanting you to open your door. Criminals can get a stolen uniform and/or attach a fake sign to their vehicle. If they are unexpected, just tell them – through your locked door – to leave the package on your porch and then you must make sure that they really do leave.
URGENT SCAM-INS TO PRESSURE YOU
Some scam artists try to stress a homeowner by urgently saying, “There's been a water main break and we've got to test your water pressure” - or some such story. The homeowner doesn't have time to think clearly.
Sometimes a woman knocks on a door and tells the homeowner that she has car trouble, or asks to use the bathroom, or whatever. Once the door is open, her hidden partners rush in.
Criminals will use any scam imaginable to scam their way into your home.
PREVENTING SCAM-INS
How to be the target they prefer to avoid.
A basic habit to develop is to always STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN so you know and trust anyone at your door before you open by simply calling out, “Who’s there?” It's so easy to check first.
ALWAYS use your peephole and doorbell intercom, and NEVER open your door – not even an inch – for ANY stranger. Keep your door shut and locked. Do NOT give them the opportunity to Push-In. Do NOT open the door to strangers asking for help with a stalled car, lost dog, etc. Tell them through your locked door or intercom you’ll help by calling the police.
Phony uniforms are easy to get (even police uniforms and ID). A criminal might pose as a bible student, building inspector, census-taker, charity fund-raiser, deliveryman, minister, repairman, salesman, or utility worker, and may have a female and/or a child as an accomplice. Bad weather may cause you to pity them.
Insist on photo I.D. (linked to his employer) held up to your window. Look for his company vehicle (beware of a magnetic sign). Then call his company to check (get the number from the internet, not from him).
And do NOT rely on some flimsy door-chain ("chain-lock" or "chain door interviewer"). See Security Products: Door Reinforcement.
And remember that - according to the USDOJ, females comprise 12–21% of all violent crime categories. So evaluate ALL strangers by their behavior and red flags.
If a woman pounds on your door claiming she’s being chased (a common scam), tell her you’ll phone the police. Then keep your door locked while calling the police and activating your alarm - which may well scare away her attacker. And if she does not run away, then she's probably legitimate and deserves to be allowed into your house while you wait for the police to arrive.
Also see Women's Safety - Overview.
SUMMARY of SCAM-INS
Criminals often hunt where their targets least expect them. Safeguard your home security even if you live in Sleepy Valley.
Make sure that all your family members use these home defense strategies. Criminals will always find victims – but cautious targets will likely be spared.
