'Ex-offenders' doorstep selling

[SouthLondonLife]

Just had one at my door 5 minutes ago. Is this a scam? Google implies it might be...

I'm working from home and waiting for an important call so didn't get into details with him but he was very pushy and I wouldn't like to think what might happen if he was knocking on doors of more vulnerable people. He was quite creepy and pushy and I'm home alone and didn't feel that comfortable challenging him myself.

[Jules-and-Boo]

did he have id?

[Penguin68]

Yes - the materials sold are generally of poor quality - these tend to be run by gang-masters who send out their 'boys' - who will receive only a fraction of the 'profits', from a van parked up somewhere.

They are not (in any way) any form of any official 'ex-offender' scheme. Some (but not all) of the salespeople can become quite overtly aggressive - and they are often implicitly threatening to the vulnerable. Avoid.

If you want to support ex-offenders there are good (and validated) charities - a google search throws these up https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ex+offender+charities+uk&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB747GB747&oq=ex-offender+charities&aqs=chrome.4.69i57j0l5.11212j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[smith 41]

I walked down Melbourne Grove and there were a group of sellers with the cleaning products next to a people carrier with a man swearing at them calling them the c word obviously they didn't bring back enough money for him I always thought it was a legitimate charity organisation

[SouthLondonLife]

He had some sort of idea but I didn't look too closely. I hate all doorstep selling anyway but the legit ones like gousto and riverford tend to just say ok thanks anyway, sorry to disturb you etc if you're not interested.

[SouthLondonLife]

ID not idea...

[alex_b]

We've had them come by a few times. Very aggressive and selling expensive tat.

[Saffron]

I've only ever had the tea towel sellers weirdly at a time that I actually needed tea towels. Yes, they're overpriced, but I didn't have to walk to the shop for them.

The organic meal planner salesman was quite high pressure and rather sexist!

[Sue]

I think they depend on people feeling too intimidated not to buy something.

Definitely not a charity.

There have been several threads on here before about them. They've been doing this round here for at least twenty years, on and off.

[treehugger]

I had these guys last year. Very aggressive when I politely said no thanks and then they kicked the door when I closed it and shouted abuse at me. Very unsettling. I called the police, who came round quite quickly.