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Molino Residents Report Possible Door To Door Fraud
August 21, 2011
Several Molino area residents have reported men going door to door false claiming to be raising money for three area schools.
Residents say the two men say they are from, or raising money for, Northview High, Molino Park Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle, but the schools say that they are not conducting any sort of door to door fundraising.
“There’s nothing like that going on,” said Northview Principal Gayle Weaver. “It is not the school.”
One man, who says his name is “Mikel”, was described as being about 5-foot 11-inches, 180 pounds with blue eyes, thick blond hair and an accent. The other was over 6-feet tall, very thin with dark hair. They were driving a white four door car, possibly a Toyota Camry or Mazda, according to several residents.
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Comments
36 Responses to “Molino Residents Report Possible Door To Door Fraud”
When I lived in P’cola years ago I had “students” come to my door many times selling magazines. Sometimes they came well after dark. They were very pushy and would argue with me when I tried to politely say I wasn’t interested. So I don’t think this is a new thing, maybe just new to the area. It is very annoying though and I sure wouldn’t let them in my house.
Luckily now I don’t think they would try to come past my dogs. At least I hope not.
He looked to old to me to be an exchange student.
Yes, they hit my house yesterday as well. Mikel was very nice, but did try to push his book. I felt a little unconfortable and kept my hand behind my door as I listened. I could not understand the purpose of his visit, until I kindly said. What do you want. He then pulled out books an I told him no thank you. I already have enough. He did ask quiet a few times to come inside and I said no thank you. I ask him a couple questions to and he said he was an exchange student. I then asked him what area he was from and he told me that he was staying with a family off Kingsfield. He was going back to his country in 2 weeks. His id looked ligit, but I find it hard that exchange students are asked to go door to door in a new country to sell to citizens. I have not called th foreign exchange student program. But I think it needs to be looked into. Bad practice to once again have a foreigner take away an American job if that is what is happening. Cheap labor.
The blond guy came by my house on Friday. After many questions, I finally got him to tell me he was selling textbooks. He was very vague about the purpose of his visit. He had my name and many others from our community including students. Please do not give out information about students or teachers in the community.
His car had New Jersey tags and his i.d. tag had Memphis, Tenn. on it.
Mossberg 12 gauge, ‘nough said. Come to my house pushing study books or anything else and you will be staring down the barrel of my 12 gauge. UNDERSTOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please come to our Mid County Neighborhood Watch meeting at 6:30pm tonight (Monday, August 22) and bring a friend! It is held the 4th Monday of every month at Aldersgate Methodist Church on Hwy 29. There will always be someone from the sheriff’s office there to answer your questions. This is one way to learn how to protect yourself, your family and help your neighbors protect themselves, too!
The blondes been to my house twice in the neighborhood behind the fire dept in cantonment. Both times I let him stand there knocking while my neighbors were calling to tell me there was a strange man on my porch. I watched him drive off once circle the block then drive by gawking at my yard again. I dont have kids and we thought it was stange this dude came to my house only, twice. I guess it might be the basketball goal and kids scooter and shoes outside. I will be armed next time and sure to open the door a bit. I suggest keeping your screen doors locked if you have um. Stops these guys from getting a good look inside.
I remember a couple of years ago, I checked on an elderly neighbor, to discover a man, in a cheap suit talking on her telephone, saying mamn you have been approved for credit, all I need is your signature and we can deliver you, your new bed. My neighbor informed me, she had asked the salesman to leave, and he would not. I reached and took the phone from his hand, removed the vcr and demonstration video, he had hooked to her television. I told him if he came back, he would find himself in a coffee can. He has not returned.
Could there be a connection with this two people and the story from a couple of weeks ago about men “wanting to pick up someones kid to take him to Bible school”?
just found out they came by my house friday. thank god my kids have been taught stranger danger. they did not open the door but the guy was saying hello while he was knocking. My kids have been taught to go out back and to the neighbors and that is what they did. chance rd has had 2 bad things happen recently, what’s going on in our community
The blond guy with the accent was driving a white Toyota. He came by my house Saturday around 4. He was alone. And his accent was fake. That was the first thing I notice. Ever after he know I no longer had school age children he keep pushing it. He told me he was selling study books for ACT ans SAT test. I told him I didn’t need them so he ask what children lived close by. Very weird.
As times get harder, more and more scams pop up. My brother lives in walnut hill and his property is clearly posted ” No Solicitors”. Maybe more folks living in these areas should post their property.
If it is posted, and strangers intrude they have already violated your wishes. 911 should be called immediately. These outlying areas continue to be preyed upon by criminals because they know that response time by law enforcement is lengthened.
Vigilence and common sense are required at all times. Fact of the matter is, is that you can’t trust anyone these days. There are good folks living in these farming communites that work hard and want to live in peace, and its a damn shame they have to put up with scum like this.
If these individuals are so ligit, they wouldn’t be using the tactics they are using.
Law enforcement can only do so much, we must police ourselves and look out for each other and our neighbors. The good nature of law abiding, God loving citizens make them naturally want to be trusting of people, these criminals are counting on it…don’t be a victim…
I addition to the comment earlier the guy did have some sort of a name badge and kept saying look look. I really don’t care they are a dime a dozen and didn’t read the story until today but if we bothered the SO about every door to door salesman or religious group that comes to our door being pushy then they would never have any time to help people who really need them and maybe right then.
Unless things have changed there has been a County Ordinance against
door to door solicitation for many years. Maybe the Sheriff’s Dept. should confirm this.
The young blonde guy was at our home on Friday and showed me a list of names too. He said he was from Astonia and the white car had a license plate on the fron either New Hampshire or New Jersey I believe. I did not let him in but he was very persistent and kept trying to get me to let him in. He ask about my children too. Don’t know if this is a scam or not but everyone beware if it is and they are casing our houses guess they know the kids go back to school tomorrow. Be sure to set your alarms and warn your kids again about strangers as he was very clean cut and well spoken..
If they come to your door just tell them to hold on (holler through the door) because you have to put your dogs up or they will bite. Then go and call the sheriff’s office to come out real quick. If enough people let these people know they are not welcome they will move on. They sound like scammers, at best, to me. Also, I would be really angry at any neighbors that gave out my family members names to strangers.
Opps! The Mid County Neighborhood Watch meeting is at 6:30 pm on Monday Aug. 22, at Aldersgate Church on Hwy. 29. Everyone is welcome and we hope some new people will come! If you want to start another neighborhood watch group we will be more than happy to put you in touch with the correct people to help you, and we would love to help too!
If these guys have licenses and do this every year, they better learn
some manners. This is not the way to sell books to people clear
out in the country;. Pushing your way in someone’s home and
asking about children in this age is however, a very good way to meet MR. SMITH AND WESSON.
Like William mentioned, better buy your books from some place you
recognize.
>>I live in Molino and my friend already called the ECSO and the deputies ran their info they are legit……..so no fraud. I guess NE forgot to verify their story.
Actually, we did. We verified from numerous reports from area residents about the pushy tactics, the fact they know the names of kids in your neighborhood and all of the other complaints that you see repeated in the comments below.
If the ECSO ran these two, they would have verified that have no warrants active. Not whether or not the books they are selling will ever arrive in the future (deputies are not fortune tellers), whether the company is legit and if it has a business license, pays taxes to support our local schools and has a good record with the BBB.
I would suggest Amazon.com or any of the bookstores in Pensacola if you need books for your kids. They don’t care what the names of your kids are, they don’t want to come in your house, and I bet the books are not $442 as mentioned by a commenter below.
I live on Barth Rd, Mikel came to my home Thursday evening around 7 p.m. and he had another guy with him. I would not let him in my home and after telling him no several times he continued to be very pushy and he said all the neighbors had been very nice. He came back on Saturday around noon, I did not answer the door and he drove off in a white car. The guy that was with him, kept his back turned and only turned around twice to glance. They did not go to the three houses next to mine because they don’t have children, I guess they found out we had children from a neighbor. He showed me the list of neighbors along with their childrens names, my children’s names are none of their business.
The more of these comments I read, the more puzzled I became! I really cannot believe that NONE of you that have encountered these rude, pushy, very interesting (suspicious) foreigners have even thought about calling the Sheriff’s Office and reporting them. Or, just to inquire about them – all door to door sales people are supposed to have a licensed issued by the county I think.
And, wow, no wonder there are so many victims in this county – can not believe some of you actually let them into your homes. And wanting to know the names of children in the neighborhood. Come on people – don’t you read or listen to the news! Wake up – all these things spell danger. And I am not being paranoid!
This gentleman Mikel came by my house a couple weeks ago t rying to sell me edcational books that would help kids with homework. He was pushy wanting to come in my home and when I wouldn’t allow that he wanted me to bring my children outside to look at his books. I was very uneasy about the entire situation. When realized that I wasn’t going to allowd him inside or my children outside he began telling me names of the people around me and their childrens names!
If any of you see them at your door, consider taking their picture on your cell phones
My guess would be the illinois travelers again. They are Romanian and
they come down in the fall and they go home in the spring. You won’t
have trouble with them right away. You will just notice things go missing
and since some of you let them into your home and they bothered
to find out how many have children I can’t even imagine what they have
planned.
I have seen that some rent homes in the Fox Run area and a few rent
homes off of scenic highway.
If I were any of you who let them linger and look your homes over I would
be sure to arm yourselves and stay on guard all winter.
I learned when I was young not to talk to strangers and don’t let them
in the house, it is even better advice today.
He came by our home, did not say he was raising money for schools…. said he was an exchange student and had to interview 30 parents of local school children about the books.
He was persistant, but I sent him on his way, he wanting names of children in my neighbor hood, but I did not give him any.
what area of escambia co. do yall live in , that this guy/these ppl are showing up in?..could be helpful to some of us to be on the lookout.
Jane, what time is the mid county neighborhood watch meeting?
The Mikel guy came to my house too. But I live in Pace. He knocked on the door and asked if I had any school aged children. I told him I wasn’t interested in any books of any sort. He was very pushy but not in a scary way. I just kept thinking, wow, he’s so rude. He had an accent and said he was an exchange student. I told him over and over I wasn’t interested and was running short on time and needed to get ready to meet someone. Even after telling him I was late, he asked a 2nd and 3rd time if there was somewhere we could sit down and talk about whatever he was selling. He also kept pointing at a piece of paper on a clipboard that showed the names and how many children were in the houses in my neighborhood. He called my neighbor by name and said they had a teenage daughter. I didn’t think it was creepy, I thought he was just a rude salesman digging into people’s personal information as leverage for making money. After I got back inside I thought, wow, that guy couldn’t care less that I was in a hrry!! And I looked him up online right away, couldn’t find anything. He didn’t say anything about raising money for schools.
These two guys are exchange students and are staying with a family on Kingsfield Rd. They come to your home telling you they want to talk about your childs school & education…..but they are trying to sell books……learning tools. I live in Molino and my friend already called the ECSO and the deputies ran their info they are legit……..so no fraud. I guess NE forgot to verify their story. One of them is from Astoria & the other one from Prague…….so they are different from us Molino folks. They do this every summer to make money for school and then they return to school in the fall. But at least the Molino folks are on top of the neighbor hood watch……
1. NEVER let a stranger into your home!!! 2. If these two show up, call 911 right away. 3. Try to get a license plate number, even part of the number will help. 4. If you see them in the neighborhood trying this scam again, even if they aren’t at your home…call 911. There is a Mid County Neighborhood watch meeting the 4th Monday of every month (this Monday, 22 August) at Aldersgate Church on Hwy. 29. They give you information on how to deal with this sort of thing. Everyone is welcome…please come! If you want to start your own Neighborhood watch group, come and we will help yu start one!
I had Mikel come by my home twice. Finally yesterday I allowed him in to see what he had to say. Apparenlty he was a foreign exchange student raising money. He never said it was for any of the schools listed. The white four door car had a New Jersey tag but he claimes to be from Estonia. Kinda creepy situation. Needless to say I didnt buy his $442 dollars worth of books.
I hope these guys come by my place. Thanks for the info on what they look like & what they’re driving. I’ll donate plenty to them… just not the kind of donation they want.
PLEASE—PLEASE call the S.O. if these people come to your home. Think about your neighbor who may not be home and have their home broken into. PLEASE CALL IN.
It sounds like a bunch of Gypsies to me. Is it politically incorrect to say that?
They also stopped by my parents home. The tall brown headed guy lingered out in the yard looking mighty suspect… I can’t remember what state the tag was on the front of that car – but they need to go back to wherever it was.
the “mikel” guy came by my home today. i kept telling him i was not interested and he stood there for over ten minutes trying to get IN my house so we could talk about my kids education. my kids get there education at school!!! something is wrong with this!!!