A possible scenario to be cautious of:
Your doorbell rings and standing at the door is a man who is wearing a coverall uniform. Parked in the driveway is a white van. The man identifies himself as Peter McKay and explains that he is with your security company.
Mr. McKay tells you that he has some good news. “We are now able to reduce your costs due to upgrades to your home security system and he is be happy to make your day!” he says.
Beware, crooks are finding new and clever ways of taking advantage of people now that they are staying home during the pandemic. The scam works by tricking consumers into a new security monitoring service contract. The new, lower monthly service fee sounds like good deal, but that is the bait. You know the company will raise its rates in the subsequent years.
See the Security System Upgrade Scam exposed:
Mr. McKay tells you that he is just there to look at your security equipment so that he knows what to replace it with. You let him in to check the equipment then he asks to see the contract and snaps some pictures of it. This should set-off your mental alarm, but he explains he needs to know what kind of plan you are have.
“Perfect, we’re almost done,” he says. “We’ll get you the new system to replace this one on Monday. There will just be a small charge of $23.99, but your bills will be much lower every month, so you will recover this charge in a short time. Shall we proceed?”
You do the math according to whatever fake numbers he gives, and realize that yes, within a year, you will have saved a lot of money. You agree and give him your credit card. From here, you are on the hook for automatic billing and to whom? Is it to the security company or to the fake sales representative?
If you get such a visit, ask the salesman to show you his Company’s Identification and ask to see his driver’s license. Call your security company to verify the person’s employment. Companies do not send people out to check clients’ devices or to offer deals. They have records of your plan already and the company would have sent you the promotional ads earlier with options for you to choose if you want to upgrade. Report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission and local law enforcement.