I don't usually drop into this part of THR all that often, but I did notice a thread a little while ago asking for others to share their experiences, so here goes. It's not exactly firearms related, so I do apologize if its off topic.
Back when I was living in an apartment in a predominately college student (though plenty of families with kids too) part of the city, my roomate and I arrived back at our apartment building. Inside the building but outside our door an approximately 25 year old male greeted us and explained that he was with the local cable company, and he and his partner were there to investigate reports of issues with the cable service. He mentioned they had just looked at our neighbor's cable, and asked if we were cable customers, and if we were experiencing any problems. I replied that we were customers, but didn't have any real issues with the service. He then asked if we'd like for him to take a look at our cable to prevent any future problems.
This is where I'm glad I was with my roomate. Being a little naive and new to the city at the time I'm not sure I'd have denied them access. However, before I could respond my roomate rather frankly and loudly told them "you guys are not with the cable company, and those ID cards are BS."
A little shocked I think, the man we were talking to kind of mumbled a half-hearted "yes we are". My roomate replied very loudly now that they needed to leave and we were calling the police. The man and his partner at this point looked very nervous and began to briskly leave while still insisting they were legitimate cable employees.
Later I called the cable company and asked if there had been any technicians in our area. The answer, not surprisingly, was no. I further don't think they were legitimate because this cable company, in my and my friends' experiences, has never sent two technicians at once. In addition, I would expect the company to know who was a customer, and for the technicians to not go looking for more problems.
Some things I'd like to point out:
1. The pair did indeed gain access to our neighbor's apartment.
2. They had phony ID badges.
3. They were young, clean shaven, and dressed business casual. They really did not appear to look like your "typical" criminals at all.
Well, there you have it. Like I said, I am very glad my roomate was there to teach me a lesson that day. I'm not sure if his aggressiveness was the best; I'd hate to scare the conman into attacking, but it did work that day. Hopefully this information will maybe help keep someone safe one day.
Back when I was living in an apartment in a predominately college student (though plenty of families with kids too) part of the city, my roomate and I arrived back at our apartment building. Inside the building but outside our door an approximately 25 year old male greeted us and explained that he was with the local cable company, and he and his partner were there to investigate reports of issues with the cable service. He mentioned they had just looked at our neighbor's cable, and asked if we were cable customers, and if we were experiencing any problems. I replied that we were customers, but didn't have any real issues with the service. He then asked if we'd like for him to take a look at our cable to prevent any future problems.
This is where I'm glad I was with my roomate. Being a little naive and new to the city at the time I'm not sure I'd have denied them access. However, before I could respond my roomate rather frankly and loudly told them "you guys are not with the cable company, and those ID cards are BS."
A little shocked I think, the man we were talking to kind of mumbled a half-hearted "yes we are". My roomate replied very loudly now that they needed to leave and we were calling the police. The man and his partner at this point looked very nervous and began to briskly leave while still insisting they were legitimate cable employees.
Later I called the cable company and asked if there had been any technicians in our area. The answer, not surprisingly, was no. I further don't think they were legitimate because this cable company, in my and my friends' experiences, has never sent two technicians at once. In addition, I would expect the company to know who was a customer, and for the technicians to not go looking for more problems.
Some things I'd like to point out:
1. The pair did indeed gain access to our neighbor's apartment.
2. They had phony ID badges.
3. They were young, clean shaven, and dressed business casual. They really did not appear to look like your "typical" criminals at all.
Well, there you have it. Like I said, I am very glad my roomate was there to teach me a lesson that day. I'm not sure if his aggressiveness was the best; I'd hate to scare the conman into attacking, but it did work that day. Hopefully this information will maybe help keep someone safe one day.
