LAS CRUCES — Just $55 to buy a children’s set of dictionaries and picture books, with part of the proceeds benefiting a children’s hospital? Who could say no?
You might want to, with city police warning residents to be wary of this possible door-to-door scam in Las Cruces.
It was around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when firearms instructor Dusty Sensiba, 27, was approached by a “salesman” pitching the books around his neighborhood, near Bataan Memorial and Del Rey Boulevard.
“I was a little suspicious at first,” Sensiba said Wednesday. “I peeked through the peep hole and there’s a guy standing there, and he says, ‘I’m not a robber or anything!’”
The “smooth talking” salesman, who left only a card with his initials behind, said he was a University of New Mexico student raising money for a trip to London. Sensiba wrote him a $20 check for the cause, but quickly canceled it after looking up the salesman’s supposed organization, Dynasty Sales, and finding that half of the top Google results for the business warn of scams. Then, he called the police.
“The officer who was over here says they try a different scam every time they come through town,” Sensiba said.
While the Las Cruces Police Department had no specific information on Dynasty Sales, spokesman Dan Trujillo said Las Crucens should “be wary of all door-to-door sales ventures.”
“Unless you are absolutely sure who you’re dealing with, and what you’re purchasing, do not allow a door-to-door salesperson into your home and do not give them any money in advance of them providing services or goods,” Trujillo said Wednesday. “Las Cruces police suggest that residents refrain from providing personal and financial information to door-to-door solicitors and to exercise caution when answering the door to anyone. Just as consumers are warned about providing personal or financial information over the telephone, the same caution should be exercised when dealing with neighborhood solicitors.”
If you are suspicious of door-to-door sales activities in your neighborhood, call police at 575-526-0795.
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Distributed by MCT Information Services
