Yesterday I found a piece of fluorescent duct tape on the gate to a different part of our property from where the house is. The neighbor who also has access through there sent us a photo of the sticker that had been affixed to it. Someone claiming to be a sales field trainee from a local building supply store put it there.
We wondered if it was the same guy who had been suspiciously driving back and forth on this stretch of road. I don’t yet know that, but I called the number on the sticker. The guy who answered said he just thought we should have his business “card.” I replied, “Oh, so that’s all it was. Thanks.” and I thought I pressed the button to cut the call off before I added, “F___ you.” Then I heard him laughing.
Guess I should feel bad. No. Hard sell always gets a bad response. Next up, what? Cold-calling to bring used trucks for sale?
I have heard that break in types, leave business cards on your door this time of year and check to see if they have been found and removed. If not they come back after dark with a truck or van.
I wondered aloud to my husband if it was a scam but didn’t think it likely at first. Then I realized this is a very strange time of year to be trying to sell building supplies. Winter snows already hit us last month.
We have not seen any other stickers on other people’s gates, nor has the neighbor I talked to, who also thought it was hinky.
Reading your post this afternoon clinched my decision to report the thing as suspicious activity to local LE.
So many scumbuckets are preying on people, especially around Xmas!
Sometimes when I hike at a local state park I’ll find someone hanging out in their car in the nearly-empty dirt parking lot. I don’t like that. A couple of days ago I met a woman that said she wouldn’t hike there without her big dog because there have been several incidents. My wife’s friend had a creepy encounter with a naked man there too. I do not like predators and it really bothers me that I can use the park freely but women can’t.
I had a guy cruising the neighborhood in a Cadillac once. He stopped in to talk about roofing. What he really wanted to know was when I was home. I told him “I am retired and home all the time.” He saw my three dogs and I mentioned my interest in hunting. Never saw him again.
It happened in warm weather. I don’t know the details but I mentioned that it seemed like it could be innocent to find someone sunbathing nude among the dunes but she said it wasn’t innocent. Yuck.
The woman I met said she carried pepper spray (when she remembered). I recommended that she add a whistle to her keychain. I think a Taser would be a good idea too…aim low for naked creeps.
Yes - report it.
At the least your doing so also verifies that your house is occupied, not a seasonal residence. It would probably be easy enough for a bad actor to check driving repeatedly by the house, except that if you have any doorway cameras might catch a piece of the vehicle. So the gate trick is an alternative w/o cameras.
This guy was trespassing . A legitimate salesperson will go to your front door and not beyond.
I don’t know where you live, but there is big money in artifacts and dinosaur bones. If you hadn’t called back you might have had a crew of people carrying shovels there.
Next time make sure to tell them that they were trespassing and will be prosecuted if they come back, then make a report to the authorities.
If an artifact on the market can be traced you your land, your could be liable for reparations.
It would seem easy enough to call the building supply company and ask them about the sticker. If it was one of their people, then you probably have little to worry about, although you might tell them that the sticker was left in an unusual place on private property. They might want to talk to their employee about that.
If the person is not associated with the building company, you should probably contact the police on a non-emergency number, as the person is possibly scouting properties in the area. They might be able to trace the person by the phone number. They may also want to schedule additional patrols in the area as well as look for reported break-ins.
She could carry the type of stun gun that combines a flashlight with a stun button and sports very sharp points on the front end. The sharp points alone would probably keep a naked person away. If pressing the zapper didn’t scare him, thrusting the sharp points would hurt him. Jabbing hard and then twisting the prongs ought to really tear some flesh.
There are pepper sprays in gel and foam versions. They STICK on the creep’s skin.
The guy was not trespassing. The gate under discussion sits about 1/4 mile from the gate to our driveway and residence. Both gates access our property—but he didn’t go through the gate. In fact, the day he stuck it on, the mystery back-and-forth driver drove past me while I was outside doing (airgun) target practice near the house. He slowed down, making me pause and look at the truck, but apparently he decided to move along. Possibly related to the fact that the air rifle is still a thing that shoots projectiles, albeit not gunpowdered ones.
Likewise, the other person’s gate he stuck the “business card” on was along the public road. No house there, just some sheds and horses.
If I decide to ask the alleged employer, that’s not what I’d say.
Instead, I’d tell them that such aggressive sales tactics landed them on our Do Not Use list. Several neighbors told us they also keep such lists, generated after a contractor does poor work or acts unprofessionally. And there are plenty of those.
I am a middle of the road guy. I am 74 years old. I bought a lightweight .22 cal pistol. I also carry it in a pocket and I try to maintain distance between me and pretty much everyone at landings with few people around. It is sad, but things have changed. I don’t go to some out of the way landings alone and if do I have the firearm. The sad part about this is that i feel compelled to do it. The new world order sucks… We must protect ourselves, do not depend on anyone. Predators have no conscience.
https://youtu.be/HrViG_-TfdY I often launch at very remote, sketchy looking landings (as in under bridges) and 90% of the time I am alone. I’ve never had any problems, but like you stated, things have changed. I’ve started carrying a small frame stainless .38 special when I know I’m going to be alone at one of these places. I have a small .22, but don’t trust the stopping power of a .22. I have an inside the waistband holster for the .38, but usually have it in a small drybag. I hate having to carry it, but it does allow me to feel a little more secure when at the remote landings. Where I paddle I’ve encountered bears, wild hogs, bobcats, gators, cotton mouths and rattle snakes. It’s the human predators that I worry about. On the water I stow the gun away, only taking it out when I’m back at the launch where the scary predators might be. The video in the link is about the stopping power of a .22.