On Sunday 2 people pushed their way into someone’s home by pretending to be Comcast employees. This happened in NW Washington DC.
The suspects knocked on the door and asked the woman if she would like to complete a survey. She told them no and they barged their way inside. She ran outside screaming, and the man who lived at the home came downstairs to find both suspects, one whom had a gun.
Both men left without stealing anything. They were seen driving a burgundy Suburban with Maryland plates (9AF-8655). If you have any information you should contact Maryland Police at 202-727-9099. [Examiner & WJLA]
Taking Safety Precautions
With this in mind I wanted to quickly point out a couple of safety tips. This type of scenario can happen anywhere at any time, so you want to do everything you can do prevent it from happening to you.
- Before you open the door, be sure to use your peephole or window to see who it is. Sounds like a no brainer, but even I’m guilty of blindly opening the door without seeing who’s knocking.
- If you notice that the person knocking is wearing a uniform, like in this case from Comcast, you should ask to see a badge / identification. I would also ask for a driver’s license to cross reference.
- If you aren’t expected a house call, ask why the person is there. Alarms should begin to go off if they say they are there to perform some work. I would also be concerned if there were more than one person. Usually service, sales and surveys are conducted by one person. Don’t open the door and ask them to leave.
- Call the company that the person is (supposedly) from and verify that they have employees out doing surveys, work or whatever. Verify the employee if possible, too. If nothing adds up ask the person to leave, and if they persist, let them know you are calling the police. Then call the police.
While far from perfect, these tips should help lower the chances of a similar situation happening to you.