Door calling - ex-offenders selling cleaning goods scam

[@Woodwarde]

We have been experiencing this over recent months in Woodwarde Rd, with calls, typically on the weekend. Usual positioning of needing to sell a certain amount as part of their rehabilitation. Are any other roads experiencing this at present and have you been reporting it to the police? All young men and one in particular, one who calls himself Curtis, whose manner can be quite intimidating. What times of day/days of the week are they calling and have you had any associated crime that might be related. There has not been anything on this from the police.

[DulwichFox]

What evidence do you have that these people are Ex-Offenders as you put it. ?

I do not buy anything from these people as most of the stuff they are selling is poor quality.

But you cannot assume they are Ex-offenders. That is just not right.

DulwichFox

[@Woodwarde]

That is how they describe themselves and that the selling is part of their rehabilitation. Their labelling/positioning and not mine. They say that it is necessary in order to reach the targets that their rehab has set. But this is nonsense and having looked at more information around the topic, it is clear that no rehab system would use such a meaningless method. And they don't. We have spoken to a number of the individuals and expressed concern for a system that asks them to do this. They look very uncomfortable at this conversation as they know it is a scam, and no doubt they are caught in a complicated relationship with the scam organisers. Anyway, my thread was really to alert people and understand the local scale of this activity at the present time. Some people, for example the elderly, are very vulnerable.

[Lucyalexandra]

We live just round the corner get this frequently too and sometimes quite late at night. As the original poster says the first line is to say they are just out of prison. I think it is designed to intimidate. I have found that if you try to refuse they sometimes look really angry/aggressive. We had it last Friday well after 8pm. I think it should be reported personally.

[@Woodwarde]

I have asked our local police team what they know and how they are communicating and raising awareness about it.

[FT83]

I posted on this topic a few months ago: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1853516,1856491#msg-1856491

[@Woodwarde]

Thanks FT83, I had not found it on search.

I see there is also something recently on the Herne Hill Forum.

http://www.hernehill.org.uk/news/door-door-sales-scam-or-nottingham-knockers

[Sue]

This or a similar version of it has been going on round here on and off for years.

In the nineties it was either very poor quality household goods like tea towels, or else truly appalling "original art".

[P.O.U.S.theWonderCat]

Was it as good as this Sue? http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,1841823,1841833#msg-1841833

[Sue]

I couldn't possibly comment :))