"Suspicious Individual" rings my doorbell

Becka said:
This thread ended up scaring the crap out of me after I went to sleep.
My husband works the overnight shift once a week. Last night was it. I was fine going to sleep, I re-read my NRA home firearm safety book...went to sleep.
At 4am I hear what sounds like "tap tap tap tap...tap tap tap...tap tap..." on my bedroom window. I wake up and stare at the window and I'm convinced there are kids outside who've already dug a grave and now they want to put me in it!
(my bedroom window is accesible by a flat roof which is accesible by back stairs so it is plausible that someone was standing outside my window)
After calling my husband and explaining where the fear was coming from, it took me over an hour to fall asleep.
Thanks, guys.
And now you know why I don't watch horror movies...[shocked]
Click to expand...

OMG to cute
 
jay_chris said:
[rofl][rofl][rofl]

ZOMBIES ARE AMONG US.


in all seriousness... a good baseball bat, metal pipe, ax, machette or Rambo knife should be scattered in strategic places in your house and car.

[wink] guns jam and they run out of ammo too.
Click to expand...

I've got a nice axe handle too. Love the balance on it [laugh]
 
I talked with some of my neighbors today. Not good news, I'm afraid. None of them had anyone at their door last night. Looks like my house was the target.

Still, it was good to spread the word. At least now they know what's up.

If it's any consolation, Beck, I didn't get much shut eye last night either.

Live and learn. We're taking steps to be more careful now. Thanks for all the advice, support, and laughs in this thread.
 
Jose said:
Next tinme answer the door wearing nothing but combat boots, a Pancho Villa bandoleer, and a shotgun.

Guarantee you will be left alone.
Click to expand...

[laugh2]

What no sombrero? Where you want to wear it is UP to you...

As long as you don't come down to HARD ON the guy.

[wink]
 
Becka, welcome to the forum. Better to be prepared, and a bit afraid, than to be unaware and subject to a B&E, Robbery, asault or who knows what.

When you're prepared, and have your mind set, there won't be fear, but determination.

Welcome to our forum. It's nice to see more and more Women Shooters joining us.
 
I guess you have to picture this. I have a second story deck with an outside stairway. I keep a chain across it just to encourage morons to ring the the actual doorbell to the real front door.

I was sitting at my desk in my underwear Monday afternoon and all of a sudden this person appears in front of the sliding glass door dressed as a fireman. It startled me and I got up to go over and open the door (I wasn't armed but wasn't alarmed).

I don't think my appearance fazed him until he looked down and saw the 4 X 4 sign on the sliding glass door left over from election that said:

"I'm a bitter gun owner and I vote"

He looked a little pale at that point.

Turned out there was a fire in the woods behind me.
 
News Shooter said:
I guess you have to picture this. I have a second story deck with an outside stairway. I keep a chain across it just to encourage morons to ring the the actual doorbell to the real front door.

I was sitting at my desk in my underwear Monday afternoon and all of a sudden this person appears in front of the sliding glass door dressed as a fireman. It startled me and I got up to go over and open the door (I wasn't armed but wasn't alarmed).

I don't think my appearance fazed him until he looked down and saw the 4 X 4 sign on the sliding glass door left over from election that said:

"I'm a bitter gun owner and I vote"

He looked a little pale at that point.

Turned out there was a fire in the woods behind me.
Click to expand...

All the more reason I have the utmost respect for Firefighters. [laugh2][rolleyes]
 
Stay alert, stay calm

KilgoreTrout said:
I talked with some of my neighbors today. Not good news, I'm afraid. None of them had anyone at their door last night. Looks like my house was the target.

Still, it was good to spread the word. At least now they know what's up.

If it's any consolation, Beck, I didn't get much shut eye last night either.

Live and learn. We're taking steps to be more careful now. Thanks for all the advice, support, and laughs in this thread.
Click to expand...

Trout, I was virtually at war with some freelanders in "community housing" across the street circa 1999. It wasn't pretty. I worked with the cops, the "Worcester Common Ground" libs that owned the house and the Main South Alliance. I confronted the bastards when I needed to, and too pictures to document criminal behavior.

I lived in that house for 13 years. With a wife and two small children. I've been where you are.

If this guy is testing security, and I think he is, odds are he's moved on. A man in the house. A family. Maybe he could see the alarm control panel at the door ... mine was plainly visible. He may have concluded that it's not worth it and moved on. They look for an easy mark. They look for transient people, rental properties, single mothers ... essentially people and properties that are vulnerable.

It's good that you've got neighbors in the loop. If you can organize, even just a few people on the street, then you have gained a big advantage. Many eyes are better than few.

Keep police informed of unusual or suspicious activity. You're not being a pain in their ass, it's their job. And always think about that perimeter security. Keep the alarm on for doors and windows, especially when you are not at home but your wife is. Keep your state of awareness high, especially during holidays and other times when people tend to travel and homes are often vacant.
 
last summer, middle of the week, during the day....normal for most of the houses in our little development to be empty. Our cars were in the Garage, so to outwards appearances no one appeared to be home.

I just happened to be working from home that day, and my Wife was home. The doorbell rang...I looked outside, didn;t see any car, thought it a bit odd.

I opened the door ( should have been more aware, I know)...2 Girls, maybe late teens, early 20's were there, and seemed taken aback when I opened the door and asked what they wanted...they stammered a bit and asked a dumb question about where a road was, naming a road a 1/2 mile away...I pointed them in the right direction ( after they got out of the development)...and they ran off down our walk , kind of laughing nervously...I'm looking out the window going WTF? when from around the corner, a car goes backing all the way down out driveway rapidly, and leaves...

I stood there wondering why they drove into a development and stopped at a house that looked like no one was home, to ask directions for a road a mile away...???

I figured that we came real close to a burglury or home invasion...I figured the car pulled up to the Garage door, around the corner where we could not see from front door..to hide and wait

If no one was home, maybe a break in would have happened..

If my Wife had been there alone and answered the door in her normal mode..she is SO trusting....I would assume they would have given her some story to get inside to "use the phone"...and leave the door unlocked behind them. And then once inside, whoever else was in the car would then come in....to do their business.

***************

I keep stressing to my Wife to NOT open the door unless she knows who is there...

As a test, I came home the other day, and instead of coming in the normal way, just parked the car at the Garage door ( can't see it from from front door), walked to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Well...she blindly opens the door without checking to see who might have been there, at least by looking out the dining room window...

I yelled at here again...[rolleyes]

*********************
I spent $8 today and installed one of those peep site viewers in the door - took me about 5 minutes.

Hopefully she uses it...

**************

I think that as the economy gets worse, the predators will start roaming farther and expanding their hunting grounds...into the suburban middle class developments.....



************


Now I want to find that thread that mentioned a more secure storm door....thought I saw it here....
 
KilgoreTrout said:
I talked with some of my neighbors today. Not good news, I'm afraid. None of them had anyone at their door last night. Looks like my house was the target.

Still, it was good to spread the word. At least now they know what's up.

If it's any consolation, Beck, I didn't get much shut eye last night either.

Live and learn. We're taking steps to be more careful now. Thanks for all the advice, support, and laughs in this thread.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about this.

At least you know that your intuition was right; you were cased. It sounds like it was just a reconnaissance mission more than anything else. Follow some of the sound advice in this thread, IHMO.
 
hikerlt said:
last summer, middle of the week, during the day....normal for most of the houses in our little development to be empty. Our cars were in the Garage, so to outwards appearances no one appeared to be home.

I just happened to be working from home that day, and my Wife was home. The doorbell rang...I looked outside, didn;t see any car, thought it a bit odd.

I opened the door ( should have been more aware, I know)...2 Girls, maybe late teens, early 20's were there, and seemed taken aback when I opened the door and asked what they wanted...they stammered a bit and asked a dumb question about where a road was, naming a road a 1/2 mile away...I pointed them in the right direction ( after they got out of the development)...and they ran off down our walk , kind of laughing nervously...I'm looking out the window going WTF? when from around the corner, a car goes backing all the way down out driveway rapidly, and leaves...

I stood there wondering why they drove into a development and stopped at a house that looked like no one was home, to ask directions for a road a mile away...???

I figured that we came real close to a burglury or home invasion...I figured the car pulled up to the Garage door, around the corner where we could not see from front door..to hide and wait

If no one was home, maybe a break in would have happened..

If my Wife had been there alone and answered the door in her normal mode..she is SO trusting....I would assume they would have given her some story to get inside to "use the phone"...and leave the door unlocked behind them. And then once inside, whoever else was in the car would then come in....to do their business.

***************

I keep stressing to my Wife to NOT open the door unless she knows who is there...

As a test, I came home the other day, and instead of coming in the normal way, just parked the car at the Garage door ( can't see it from from front door), walked to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Well...she blindly opens the door without checking to see who might have been there, at least by looking out the dining room window...

I yelled at here again...[rolleyes]

*********************
I spent $8 today and installed one of those peep site viewers in the door - took me about 5 minutes.

Hopefully she uses it...

**************

I think that as the economy gets worse, the predators will start roaming farther and expanding their hunting grounds...into the suburban middle class developments.....



************


Now I want to find that thread that mentioned a more secure storm door....thought I saw it here....
Click to expand...


More likely they were checking to see if anyone was home vs a home invasion. Still, good precautions & stay on your wife. Luckily, mine's a complete paranoid about that stuff.
 
hikerlt said:
last summer, middle of the week, during the day....normal for most of the houses in our little development to be empty. Our cars were in the Garage, so to outwards appearances no one appeared to be home.

I just happened to be working from home that day, and my Wife was home. The doorbell rang...I looked outside, didn;t see any car, thought it a bit odd.

I opened the door ( should have been more aware, I know)...2 Girls, maybe late teens, early 20's were there, and seemed taken aback when I opened the door and asked what they wanted...they stammered a bit and asked a dumb question about where a road was, naming a road a 1/2 mile away...I pointed them in the right direction ( after they got out of the development)...and they ran off down our walk , kind of laughing nervously...I'm looking out the window going WTF? when from around the corner, a car goes backing all the way down out driveway rapidly, and leaves...

I stood there wondering why they drove into a development and stopped at a house that looked like no one was home, to ask directions for a road a mile away...???

I figured that we came real close to a burglury or home invasion...I figured the car pulled up to the Garage door, around the corner where we could not see from front door..to hide and wait

If no one was home, maybe a break in would have happened..


**************

I think that as the economy gets worse, the predators will start roaming farther and expanding their hunting grounds...into the suburban middle class developments.....



************
Click to expand...

hiker, I think you're 100% correct on both points. In most suburban neighborhoods the majority of breaks happen during the day. That's when most people are away at school/work.

Females are perceived as less threatening then unknown males, so who better to knock at a door, just in case someone is home? If there had been no answer at your door, your house would probably have been hit. If the door had been answered by a woman or child, the females would probably have tried to gain entrance by saying saying they needed to use the telephone or bathroom. If they had gained entry to your house, they would probably have done a quick canvass to see who was in your home and what could be stolen. One of the females would probably have alerted their accomplice (in the car). A simple text message on a cell phone would have done nicely. [frown]

Perhaps I'm paranoid or over imaginative, but I would find an event like that very disturbing.

I expect property crimes to go up as the economy continues to tank. Just like in nature, the predators will increase their stalking territory as prey becomes scarce.

BTW, you didn't happen to catch the tag/description of the car did you? I would have phoned the police if you did. If your "visitors" were legitimately looking for directions, I'm sure they would have been happy to have police assistance. [wink]
 
News Shooter said:
I guess you have to picture this. I have a second story deck with an outside stairway. I keep a chain across it just to encourage morons to ring the the actual doorbell to the real front door.

I was sitting at my desk in my underwear Monday afternoon and all of a sudden this person appears in front of the sliding glass door dressed as a fireman. It startled me and I got up to go over and open the door (I wasn't armed but wasn't alarmed).

I don't think my appearance fazed him until he looked down and saw the 4 X 4 sign on the sliding glass door left over from election that said:

"I'm a bitter gun owner and I vote"

He looked a little pale at that point.

Turned out there was a fire in the woods behind me.
Click to expand...

NS, if I had answered the door in my underwear he would have been more then pale, not to mention the neighbors complaining about a drop in property values! [rofl]
 
hikerlt said:
last summer, middle of the week, during the day....normal for most of the houses in our little development to be empty. Our cars were in the Garage, so to outwards appearances no one appeared to be home.

I just happened to be working from home that day, and my Wife was home. The doorbell rang...I looked outside, didn;t see any car, thought it a bit odd.

I opened the door ( should have been more aware, I know)...2 Girls, maybe late teens, early 20's were there, and seemed taken aback when I opened the door and asked what they wanted...they stammered a bit and asked a dumb question about where a road was, naming a road a 1/2 mile away...I pointed them in the right direction ( after they got out of the development)...and they ran off down our walk , kind of laughing nervously...I'm looking out the window going WTF? when from around the corner, a car goes backing all the way down out driveway rapidly, and leaves...

I stood there wondering why they drove into a development and stopped at a house that looked like no one was home, to ask directions for a road a mile away...???

I figured that we came real close to a burglury or home invasion...I figured the car pulled up to the Garage door, around the corner where we could not see from front door..to hide and wait

If no one was home, maybe a break in would have happened..

If my Wife had been there alone and answered the door in her normal mode..she is SO trusting....I would assume they would have given her some story to get inside to "use the phone"...and leave the door unlocked behind them. And then once inside, whoever else was in the car would then come in....to do their business.

***************
Click to expand...

Most likely those girls were "trying to sell Magazine subscriptions". They’re used by unscruptulous individuals who lure them away from their homes with false promises and take advantage when they have them. It's a growing scam.

http://ripoffreport.com/searchresul...&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search!

They basically kidnap kids under false pretenses and take them to far away places for later illegal activities. If they don't play along they're left where they are broke with no way home.

It happens everyday.
 
Just saw one of these cameras at BJ's in Auburn yesterday. In Worcester, you can try Stark Electronic on Franklin Street.


center442 said:
...I expect property crimes to go up as the economy continues to tank. Just like in nature, the predators will increase their stalking territory as prey becomes scarce.

BTW, you didn't happen to catch the tag/description of the car did you? I would have phoned the police if you did. If your "visitors" were legitimately looking for directions, I'm sure they would have been happy to have police assistance. [wink]
Click to expand...

Bank robberies and liquor store holdups sure seem to be up.

I would have said "Sure, let me call the police and they can help you." This is what my Mom did when a bloody kid was at her front door asking for help. Turned out he was in a gang type fight, and her calling the police alerted them to where he was, as they were looking for him a few streets away. Obviously, he bolted, but they caught him a street away. This sort of thing never happened in her town before (to our knowledge), but it seems that various types of crime are growing and spreading.
 
Last edited:
Blitz1 said:
They basically kidnap kids under false pretenses and take them to far away places for later illegal activities. If they don't play along they're left where they are broke with no way home.
Click to expand...

WTF?? If I was one of those kids, I'd tell the first house I went to that I was kidnapped and to please call the police. I was suspicious of those magazine sales (always young kids that are pushy) but didn't know that bit about it.

I do despise those door to door magazine sales though. Other than your usual JW's, it is the only unexpected visitors we ever get. I can resist them easily but my wife has trouble (fortunately she usually refuses to answer the door if she's alone). I don't need any idiotic sheeple magazines like "People" and "US" and what have you. (The day I start reading those is the day I should just call it quits on life.) And I certainly don't want to ask the kid if there are any shooting-related magazines on the list; they don't need to know I have any guns.
 
Blitz1 said:
Most likely those girls were "trying to sell Magazine subscriptions". They’re used by unscruptulous individuals who lure them away from their homes with false promises and take advantage when they have them. It's a growing scam.

http://ripoffreport.com/searchresul...&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search!

They basically kidnap kids under false pretenses and take them to far away places for later illegal activities. If they don't play along they're left where they are broke with no way home.

It happens everyday.
Click to expand...

every couple of years in the summertime, we get the "gypsy's" .. they walk around the neighborhood to see who's home or not, ring the bell..no answer..break in. pretend to be selling jewelry, books, etc. Happens a lot inside of 495 / 128. They see some woman gardening in the front, circle the block and go inthe basement or rear door. In & out in under 2 min.
 
Palladin said:
They see some woman gardening in the front, circle the block and go inthe basement or rear door. In & out in under 2 min.
Click to expand...

The concern of this happening is why I recently started making sure I lock (just the doorknob, not all the locks) the door when I'm out doing yard work, as well as carrying concealed for this yard work. The noise from the power equipment could be used as cover for them to get in and out without me hearing their breakin.

Some (not here) may say that is paranoid, and I admit the odds of anything happening are quite slim, but it is easy for me to do to gain this extra security.
 
K.T.

It seems to me that you have aleady taken some fairly considerable precautions. I think a very noisy dog would be a great addition and I am sure that you will not open the door again unless you are sure of who is on the other side. It is easy to see how you were lulled into thinking it was your cousin.

Now we will never know for sure what the motive of your visitor was. It may have been what it was or he might have been casing the house. In any event he left abruptly when you saw him. You won and I do not agree with those who say that you have been declared food, because if you are food you will be eaten. You refuse to be eaten and will stand your ground for yourself and your family.

Now Kilgore I think you are a very bright and articulate guy who wants to do the right thing, but I also sense in you a certain quality of doubt or uncertainty, perhaps even denial that something like this could happen. This quality has more to do with the values you received in your education, I think, than anything else. I think at times you kind of straddle the fence between the social liberalism of your youth and the realities of the modern world. I would say this, simply listen to your instincts and don't try to override them with your intellect. Don't think, react...which sometimes is harder than it sounds.

With regard to Parker and Tulloch, they did not appear to be "bad guys." They were white, clean cut all American kids. They got into the house be pretending to be conducting an enviornmental survey for a school project. Of couse their marks were college professors who were used to helping young people. The moral of this story is trust no one who comes to your door unless you know them.

Mark L.
 
mark056 said:
...

With regard to Parker and Tulloch, they did not appear to be "bad guys." They were white, clean cut all American kids. They got into the house be pretending to be conducting an enviornmental survey for a school project. Of couse their marks were college professors who were used to helping young people.

The moral of this story is trust no one who comes to your door unless you know them.

Mark L.
Click to expand...

Thats the sad thing about these situations, we are just human in the long run and generally don't want to turn our backs on our fellow man in times of trouble. We greet people with smiles, will offer directions, and so on. But the predators home in on that empathy and unleash the horrors of their twisted souls on those who were to help them.

Trust no one, indeed. [sad]
 
I seldom leave the house without the little lady with me but last week I went to Four Seasons very early to avoid the crowd. Before I left like always I told her, lock the doors and don't answer unless you know who's there.

When I got home she said that the jehovahs witness's came to the front door. I asked her how do you know they were jehovahs witness's? Oh they had the booklets and everything, she said. Did you open the door, I asked her? Just the inside door not the storm door (locked), she said. Well, what did you say to them? She said in a loud voice, "you pray to God in your way, and I pray my way". Then she slamed the door closed.

Our rules are simple: unless you know who it is don't answer the door (USPS, UPS and the pizza guy come to the back door). I don't care if the Pope, a policeman or a girl scout is at the door DO NOT OPEN IT. The only exception would be Jesus Christ, and he would have to show a picture i.d.
 
Mike1911 said:
Our rules are simple: unless you know who it is don't answer the door (USPS, UPS and the pizza guy come to the back door). I don't care if the Pope, a policeman or a girl scout is at the door DO NOT OPEN IT. The only exception would be Jesus Christ, and he would have to show a picture i.d.
Click to expand...

That's a good one!
 

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