Originally Posted by
nativetexan
oh my, my Son answered his door once and did the alien thing to whom ever it was. they left quickly!!! works in person too.
We have had to establish the policy of never, ever answering the door to strangers and never give any information to strangers on the phone unless you initiated the call. Even caller ID can be deceiving, with some people getting ID's that mimic popular charities. Especially make sure kids know this and when they are alone in the house know to keep the door locked and not answer to anyone without your consent.
We have been reading of several instances in recent years of home invasions. By getting you to open the door they have established that there either is no alarm or you disarmed it. One group operating not far from us had a couple of little women knock on a door and state they're having car trouble and ask to use your phone. Then two burly men jump from the bushes and burglarize the house. It's safer to let the person know you are there but not going to answer. I will yell something like, "Sorry can't answer the door!" They don't need an explanation. I can look out a window and observe who it is as they leave. If there's a window in or near the door, you can let them see you holding a phone to your ear. They can assume you have told someone about the stranger at the door.
One time I watched a man walk from my door on up the street and test the door handle on my neighbor's car as he went by. I called the police, and they were quite interested. They emphasized that they can't be everywhere at once and they appreciate extra eyes and ears taking note of any suspicious activity. They wanted a description and specifics about time and place. I don't know if they found him. We are in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Crimes can happen anywhere!
I wish I was as skilled with the gift of gab as Bneighbor! If I see unrecognized numbers calling I let the answering machine get it, or if I've had previous experience with them (Why on earth do some of these idiots keep calling the same obviously fruitless number and play a recording like: "Hi, this is Rachel at card services..."? This same one has been going on for
years!) I just lift the receiver and drop it so they can't clutter up my answering machine with their garbage.