Solicitors still seem to be out in force. Two more reader reports have come in – read on:
From Steve:
At around 11:40 a.m., we had a couple of young men knock on our door and try to get us to buy magazine subscriptions as a fundraiser for an Australian trip for the UW rugby team. They wouldn’t show us ID and didn’t have any material to give us (other than a receipt if we committed to giving them money right there) so we sent them on their way. A check of the UW Rugby website doesn’t indicate that the team is planning an overseas trip and the name of the guy who did most of the talking did not appear on the team rosters we could find on the web.
I live near Andover and 44th. I called the SPD non-emergency line and will file a police report. I don’t know if they were casing but they were pretty aggressively trying to keep the conversation going. Very friendly — I didn’t feel threatened but I’m sure they could also charm money out of neighbors so I figured I should report it if it’s indeed a scam.
And from Tom:
We live in Gatewood near the Myrtle Park Reservoir. A young man came by, in his early twenties wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. He claimed to be raising money for a trip to Spain by selling books that would be sent to various children’s charities. His story did not not make a lot of sense so I sent him on his way.
As noted here before, the city rules for door-to-door soliciting, aka “residential sales,” are here. Among the big ones: They need licenses and IDs; hours are restricted to 8 am-9 pm; if you have a “no soliciting” sign, they’re supposed to leave you alone. But if someone is simply asking for a charity contribution, they do NOT require a license. For a summary of the rules, check this report from our friends at MyBallard.com.
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