The scam
Door-to-door scammers will pretend to be salespeople to convince you to buy a product or sign up for a service you don’t want or need.
Video length: 2 minutes, 03 seconds
How it works
These aggressive pitches are often for investment opportunities, charitable donations, or home services such as maintenance of various appliances, like water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners. Often, they will try to lock you into long-term and costly contracts that are difficult to break.
In many cases, you’ll never receive the product or service promised. In others, the products or services are of poor quality or not as represented.
How to spot it
The scammer will often use high-pressure tactics to force you to make a quick decision.
Protect yourself
- Don’t feel pressured to make a quick decision. Take time to do some research on the seller and the products first.
- Ask for photo ID; get the name of the person and the organization or charity they represent.
- Never share any personal information or copies of any bills or financial statements.
- Only allow access to your property to people you trust.
- Research before you invest. Don’t sign anything and always read the fine print.
- Know your rights. Most provinces and territories have guidelines under their respective consumer protection legislation regarding door-to-door sales.
- Door-to-door sales (Canadian Consumer Handbook)
Further reading
- How to report fraud and scams in Canada
- Charity and donations scams (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
- Fort McMurray fires: Beware of fake charities and donation scams
- Happy International Day of Charity: give with confidence
- Competition Bureau warns consumers about deceptive door-to-door sales of water heaters and HVAC systems
- Seniors Guidebook to Safety and Security (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)