A neighbor, Nancy, wrote us to describe a run-in she had very early Saturday morning. We wanted to pass it along just to keep folks alert. We have edited it for length.
I was sleeping and at 2 a.m. someone was repeatedly “buzzing” my front door. I live at 4702 Hazel, first floor. There are three apartment units in my building and 4 people who lived in the building.
There was a man standing at my door — tall, large (not overweight, but not a small person), black, wearing dark clothes and a dark baseball cap, in his thirties, no facial hair and no glasses. He did not seem intoxicated or insane. I did not open the main doors to the building and I only spoke to him through the glass.
He was holding a little piece of paper which he was acting like he was reading. He spoke very low so it was almost impossible for me to hear him. I could see the paper had just a couple scribbles or numbers on them. He said he was looking for “Lewis” (which is my name, and also on my mailbox in the vestibule). He told me my neighbors upstairs were in the hospital. It was very hard to communicate because of his low talking and mumbling. He said he was a tow-truck driver and he was dropping off their keys to a “Lewis.” It took awhile for the red flags to go off.
I think he was talking low so I would open the door in order to hear him. He wanted me to open the door for the keys (I never saw any keys, nor a tow truck…in fact there was no car running in the street or anything…he was clearly on foot). He constantly referred to his little piece of paper, saying “Lewis.” Finally my boyfriend woke up and came out and said “who are you and why are you here?” and then we told him he had the wrong address and he left. We were both really frightened. It was all very suspicious. But if I had opened the door I do believe something really bad would have happened.
I called the police to let them know, but regrettably I did not have them come to my building for a report. I was very worried that he would try it down the road to someone else and someone would be hurt. I feel stupid for even engaging with him as long as I did, but I also feel very lucky. I am aware that there have been a string of robberies/muggings in my neighborhood and this guy had a lot of “tricks” so I want people to know and not fall for it and not get hurt.
Thanks for listening. And, by the way, none of my neighbors are in the hospital … they are all fine.
Thanks again and be careful. Don’t answer your door and always keep your door locked, especially if you have slacked off lately.
May 31st, 2011 at 1:07 pm
We had a similar incident a few months ago (43rd and Pine). My wife said someone came to our door and said they witnessed a car crash at Grays Ferry Rd, that they had found the car keys and were dropping them off to our address. My wife looked at they keys, didn’t recognize them, and asked the man to leave. She immediately called me to make sure I hadn’t been in a car crash. It was all very disturbing.
May 31st, 2011 at 2:03 pm
A friend had a similar incident maybe 6 weeks ago – a man appeared at my friend’s door saying her neighbor (she said, “Which neighbor – X?” and the guy was like, “YES, it’s X.”) had been in an accident and sent him from the tow company or some such thing — much more persuasive and realistic seeming, but he was sent away and I think the police called…
May 31st, 2011 at 3:22 pm
My rule of thumb:
1. If it’s late at night, it’s probably false.
2. If it’s around 2 A.M. that is the witching hour after bars let out.
3. The more elaborate the tale the more likely it’s a ruse and part of a con.
4. Always err on the part of caution, even if it seems like you are being rude. The con depends on you feeling that way and giving in.
June 1st, 2011 at 9:52 am
Hi, a suggestion if I may:
Before you answer the door, pre-dial 911 on your phone and have your finger near the “send” button -this is in case things suddenly get ugly. Don’t let the guys see you have your phone out though…
Tell the person to wait while you get the key to open the door from the inside. Go away and as soon as you are out of sight, call 911. Explain the situation and give the police a good description so they recognize him when they pull up. Wait till the police get there.
June 1st, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I don’t answer my door after 10pm if I’m not expecting anyone. If I am expecting someone, I tell the person to call me on the phone to tell me they’re outside instead of ringing the doorbell.
Whenever I find a stranger at my door, I’m immediately suspicious-I assume it’s some kind of a scam, and leave it to them to prove me wrong. And daytime burglars ring the doorbell to see if anyone’s home. If there is, they claim to be looking for an address that obviously isn’t yours.
Also, don’t volunteer ANY information; let the stranger do all of the talking. They are being deliberately vague in the hope that you will volunteer the name of someone you know so that they can then weave it into their tale of woe.
Be observant and make a mental note of the person’s age, gender, race clothing, anything they were carrying, persons who appear to be waiting for them, any vehicles involved, etc.
And above all, CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!!! That’s what they’re there for. The scammers, burglars, home invaders, etc can’t be stopped if the police don’t have your information. Even if the scammer was not successful, the police will know the person’s description, time and location of the incident, the direction they took off in, etc. The police can use this information in conjunction with other reports of suspicious activity to detect patterns, or to fill in missing pieces from other crimes that were already committed. The criminal may not have been able to get into your home, but maybe the tag number you wrote down because you were suspicious will give the police a missing piece of information that will help them solve another crime that this person was involved in.
June 2nd, 2011 at 10:30 am
This just happened to me on Locust and Melville. He rang the door bell at about 10:15am, so it’s not just late-night visits to be suspicious of.
June 2nd, 2011 at 3:43 pm
I don’t answer the door at all for strangers. It sounds horrible, but as a female with no self defense skills, I wouldn’t open the door for anyone. My friend had a similar experience on Lancaster & Overbrook. A man went up the fire escape to her back door and said he was a neighbor and his electricity was out and he had to charge his cell phone. Fortunately she didn’t answer, but she called the police and the police never came.
June 3rd, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I just read this article and the same thing happened to me last year, although I don’t think it is the same guy. The guy that tried to scam me is now in jail!!! Fortunately, he tried this trick on lots of neighbors on my street and by the time he got to me, the cops were looking for him. He did know my neighbors name and tried to get me to pay him cash for the remainder of her towing bill so that he could bring her car right to my parking spot while she was supposedly at the hospital. He knew so much information it was almost convincing, until I asked what kind of care she drove—FAIL. Right as that happened, two policewomen came, I told the story and they and took him in. I ended up going to court numerous times for this loser, and in the end, he was convicted. I thought I would share a positive end to this similar story.
Be on the lookout. When the temps go up, so does the crime!
June 21st, 2011 at 2:49 am
A man of the same description came to our door at 1:45am and rang our bell. He was a tall gangly black male in a blue t-shirt, jeans, possibly dark colored baseball cap.
He spoke rapidly and soft-spoken voice. He told the following story: he said our next door neighbor, whose name he did not know, had been in a car accident at Broad and Spring Garden streets in Philadelphia and that he’s in the hospital though not badly hurt. This man said he would be towing our neighbor’s car and then would be dropping off the car keys at my place in about a half an hour.
The overall impression I had of him was that he could be telling the truth. He was not pushy, nor aggressive and though tall, his body language was withdrawn. I said, “Okay, put the keys in my mailbox.” The gentleman said okay and walked off around the corner at a slow pace with no apparent vehicle of his own near my residence.
I rang the bell of the neighbor that was supposedly in the hospital as a result of the car accident. And a few moment later, said neighbor appeared at the door.
The man who rang my bell thus had told a story built on numerous lies. My concern was why he targeted my place and what he had in mind.
I called the police and made a report.
June 21st, 2011 at 11:10 am
This is very strange. At about 5:45 my husband got home and said there was a man sitting on our steps who told him a story and asked if he would go around the corner, ring a bell and tell his wife he loves her… I don’t remember the description of him, but it’s gotta be the same guy.