Home Burglaries By Cleaning/Landscape/Home Improvement Crews (Atlanta, Roswell: crime, house)

[Karen Marie Smith]

Be on the lookout for gangs of expert theives posing as house cleaners,landscapers or painting crews. A friend of mine in Roswell, GA hired a house cleaning crew who turned out to be part of a "gang" that committed home thefts while on the job. They actually memorized her schedule and would show up with buckets or mops when they knew that she wasn't home and enter through the front door or side door using a "bump" key. Little by little things started disappearing but she could never pinpoint exactly when until she began finding boxes of "loot" in strange places waiting to be taken. Does anyone have a similar experience in the Atlanta Metro area??

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Karen Marie Smith

[b]A friend of mine in Roswell, GA hired a house cleaning crew who turned out to be part of a "gang" that committed home thefts while on the job.

Did she hire them from a yellow pages or print ad, or, from a flier on the mailbox or a "rep" knocking on the door? A note of caution: Never EVER hire someone to do work inside your home based on hand-made fliers, cards, or door knocks. Outside home repairs/work via this route should only be given if that person can provide verifiable references.

Originally Posted by Karen Marie Smith

They actually memorized her schedule and would show up with buckets or mops when they knew that she wasn't home and enter through the front door or side door using a "bump" key.

Hint: Spraying "WD40" lightly into the keyholes of your outer door locks on a regular basis helps to prevent people from using the special key molds they use to make a "bump key". When they place the mold in the keyhole and "bump" it with their palm, the WD40 will be too slick to allow it to properly shape itself right to make a working key (many times - it's not foolproof but it works more often than not). Some reports have disputed this, but the only alternative are safety locks that cost $200.00+ that use special non-standard type keys that you can't make copies of.

[myhomeguys]

I just want to say that flyers are OK, provided you can find the company information somewhere else to validate it. A name and a phone number are not adequate.
We distribute flyers in the immediate area when working on a project because neighbors like to hire someone they know another neighbor has hired.
Yellow page ads are so costly we don't advertise there any more, but we are on the internet and you can check the state business registration.
My point is- don't completely ignore a company if they give you a flyer, but do check to see if there is a legitimate company.
Crime is up- be vigilant and keep your doors and windows locked and hire only people you can verify (through personal sources, not theirs) such as by looking on Kudzu.

[HeyEng]

Originally Posted by myhomeguys

I just want to say that flyers are OK, provided you can find the company information somewhere else to validate it. A name and a phone number are not adequate.
We distribute flyers in the immediate area when working on a project because neighbors like to hire someone they know another neighbor has hired.
Yellow page ads are so costly we don't advertise there any more, but we are on the internet and you can check the state business registration.
My point is- don't completely ignore a company if they give you a flyer, but do check to see if there is a legitimate company.
Crime is up- be vigilant and keep your doors and windows locked and hire only people you can verify (through personal sources, not theirs) such as by looking on Kudzu.

Stop putting flyers on my mailbox!!! It litters up the place and is against the law!!!

Kudzu and Angie's list is a good way to find stuff...or as I have seen of late; neighborhood association websites/FB pages where residents can make recommendations.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by HeyEng

Stop putting flyers on my mailbox!!! It litters up the place and is against the law!!!

Speaking of that sort of thing, I'm sick and tired of the phone company leaving huge stacks of phone books on my doorstep. I haven't used one in 10 years, but despite my phone calls and updating my "delivery preferences" on their website to 0, they won't stop.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Speaking of that sort of thing, I'm sick and tired of the phone company leaving huge stacks of phone books on my doorstep. I haven't used one in 10 years, but despite my phone calls and updating my "delivery preferences" on their website to 0, they won't stop.

I wish the AJC would stop dumping their free papers and such in my yard. Not only do they not hit my driveway 2/3 of the time, but the plastic bags to little to keep out the rain, so most of the time I end up with a waterlogged mess in a baggy.

[atlantagreg30127]

A couple of things, folks:

1) The OP posted their start-topic three years ago. Please see the upper corner of postings to see the origin date.

2) The last few posts really don't address the topic, though it brings up point "A" below as a safety thing so you don't appear to be not at home.

3) Last, you can simply help avoid some of these things by following these steps:

A) Have neighbors collect mail/fliers/cards around your home when you're away.

B) Pay attention to strange vehicles/people lingering in your neighborhood and don't hesitate to report it if your instincts tell you something is off.

C) Only hire people to work on your home through reputable sources (yellow pages, services web sites, etc... NOT people who knock on your door).

D) Invest in cameras. Wireless and wired systems are available at reasonable prices today from Costco, BrandSmart USA and other stores. THIS is but one example.

E) Keep doors/windows locked and secure. Reinforce deadbolt and hinge plates with longer screws, etc.

We could go on and on with this, but per the OP's observation, it's never a good idea to hire door-to-door handymen (which is what this sounded like) to come into your home. Avoid that and add some of the steps above to keep your property safe(r).