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didn't like this one bit..

5K views 41 replies 33 participants last post by  Tom G 
#1 ·
well here is my first post here and wish it was better than this.

heres the deal just moved into a new Town home in a really nice part of town and no issues with anything around the area all nice places hell there is even a starbucks in walking distance.

a few days a go while getting rdy to head out with some friend the door bell rings. ?? thinking my friends are early i look thru the window next to the door only to see someone i don't know. that strange thing too is i just had gotten dress and placed my .45 in the holster. so as i go to open the door with my aussie going nuts to see who is on the other side. long story he goes into some speach about who he is and he is going around to meet his people in the area as part of his relocation program :ticking:?? at that point im like sorry you need to go now... but he only seem to want to move when i said if i open this door to shake your hand (which he extened to my closed screen door) my K9 unit will rush you...only then he desided to move along....

then the next day i get another guest at my door asking me question about what i do for a living so he and his group... can get insprational stories about people... again im like you need to go and sorry not going to help you...

its funny my aussie is barking the whole time but you can't see the little fuzz ball thou she sounds like some 100lbs monster.

now my wife gives my static cause i seem like i don't trust ppl but i know when someone is asking questions that would give them all the info they need to know what hours you work and how much you make which now leads to what possbile goodies you will have in the house... dam that intel background of mine...

what do you think ?? am i too on edge or should i treat this as ops normal for knock and ask for money people...?
 
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#2 ·
It seems a little odd to me, if they were part of a Home Owners Association that you joined maybe. But two guys that just want to get to know you when you first move in seem a bit odd to me.
 
#3 ·
I like gathering info on folks in my neighbor hood but I do it in stealth mode. I never give out infor until I have some feel for someone. Hmmm sounds like you did pretty right to me. Don't ask me any questions until I invite you over..........
 
#5 ·
I don't like people I don't know crossing no mans land,the area from the curb to my front door,I think when they hear me ask what they want thru the closed door things won't be going well for them.
 
#6 ·
We get a lot of the Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses coming to our door. I usually see them coming and when I do I just ignore the doorbell, even though my dog goes crazy. No offense to their beliefs or their cause, but I think the day of door to door evangelizing should come to an end, for their own safety. It's dangerous enough to deliver pizzas these days, let alone knocking on a stranger's door to talk about God.
 
#37 ·
Those people irk me the most and I do have something against their need to impose their beliefs on me. Believe whatever nonsense you want to but keep it to yourself. They have gotten some of my rudest responses, to inappropriate to post but it does keep them from coming back. My no trespass sign is very clear if you are not invited you are a hostile invader and WILL be treated accordingly.
As far as the OP's posts naw not to bad at all sounds like they may have been some part of a homeowners group but not sure from your post. The part about the second wanting your work info etc seems way out of line. Like you said an effort to get your schedule and maybe an idea of what quality of goods are available in your home
 
#7 ·
Sounds like your wife needs to be more apprehensive! I don't open my door for strangers...period.People coming to your house for information? nope not common no matter where you moved to...tell them to go away!
 
#11 ·
+1.

Times are changing (have changed) and you have to be careful. Better to be safe than sorry. I've even told people that I work from home or that my brother works with me so that if they see me leave, they don't know if someone else is not there. In fact, one time I was going camping with my family and just as I was leaving, my neighbor yells from across the street, "you going out of town?" And this was a new development so there were probably 20 or 30 construction workers next door who stopped to look. Of course, this pissed me off and I yelled back that I was just taking some stuff over to my brother's house and would be right back. This same neighbor got robbed twice since moving in...go figure.
 
#14 ·
The last house we lived in was a patio home on a one street cul-de-sac development. There were only about 20 houses on the street, and the cul-de-sac was accessed off another dead end street. About 2.5 years ago, after having lived there for several years I had a little "incident" one night.

It was about 8PM one evening, and I had just gotten home from having dinner with a friend. I had parked my car in the drive, as my brother in law had been over earlier putting a new dishwasher in for me and I had some tools that needed to be put away (1 car garage- couldn't even walk in there if the car was parked in it). Thinking I would only be a minute, I left the garage door open.

I walked in the house and back to the bedroom to kick my shoes off. As I was walking back to the front of the house I heard someone outside "Is anybody home?" It sounded like it was coming from the vicinity of my front door- and as I wasn't expecting anyone I ignored it. A minute or two later a woman walks in my garage door, which opened into the kitchen.

She was maybe 45-55 years old, well dressed with nice jewelry. She had a small cut across the bridge of her nose. She seemed confused. My first thought was that she had been in an accident or something. I asked if I could help her. She told me she needed me to give her a ride somewhere. I offered to call someone for her. About this time I started to notice "odd" things- like the fact that she didn't have any shoes on (socks, but no shoes) and it was December. She became insistent- and I was getting a weird vibe from her. I offered to call someone for her, to call her a cab, etc. She kept insisting that I drive her somewhere. Finally I told her that I had just gotten home from dinner with a friend and had been drinking, so couldn't drive. She then started asking me for a drink.

I started telling her she needed to leave. We went round and round about that- and she kept saying "You'll call the police as soon as I leave." I told her that f course I would do no such thing. I finally got her out of my house- closed my garage door, armed the alarm and ... called the police. Officer came by and talked to me, but they didn't see the woman in the area.

This scared the crap out of me.

The next week there was an article in the paper about a similar incident in a nearby neighborhood. This time the homeowner was an elderly woman. The woman who walked in on her had a gun and threatened the homeowner with it. The homeowner managed to get away unharmed and the woman was arrested. Her description matched my "random crazy lady".

Now, unless I am expecting someone or know who it is- I don't open the door. I don't tell people to go away, I just don't open the door. I don't care if people think I'm rude. Yes, I live in a nice neighborhood- but there are just too many crazies out there.
 
#22 ·
Sounds like a close call to me, this is an example of how some criminals don't fit the movie profiles... Some houses down from where I use to live in Baltimore county, there was a couple who got burglarized and guess how? The guy let inside a sexy young lady to use his phone, and as soon as he did this 3-4 of her "homies" followed suit with guns and base ball bats, and they gang raped the guys lady... totally messed up.

More women are involved in crime than there was a few decades ago, armed robbery and everything else... that's sad.
 
#15 ·
When I move to a new area, I love it when the neighbors come over to meet and great. I often offer them a beer, and converse in idle chit chat.

That way I’m being neighborly, and yet besides telling them where we moved from, I’ve pretty much told them nothing.

But on the other hand during our chit chat, I’ve asked them where they live, where they work, and for lack of better words, started developing a relationship, yet again told them very little about ourselves.

Maybe it’s skill I learned at work, but it is now part of who I am. I should also tell you that some of my best friends are my neighbors, and you only have one chance to make a good impression.
 
#18 ·
I like your response best of all that I have read on this topic. You have recognized that it is possible that those folks are merely trying to be neighborly, and you are giving them the benefit of the doubt, while using good judgment and not revealing too much tool early. People frequently like to talk about themselves. Your approach to learn something about them first without being too obvious is good.

I am a friendly sort of person, and see myself on the other side of the fence. It is a chilling start up to find someone who is so cautious that it makes me wonder what type of clandestine business he is involved in, and as a result I never communicate with them again, and afterward am never concerned about reporting intruders on their property.

But Hey, how am I to know -- I am just an old-fashioned friendly Texan.
 
#16 ·
i usually crack the door open and keep my pistol out of their view. i find that asking them more questions then they ask me works good. if they are full of crap they usually get flustered and leave.
they dont need too look in my house, and dont need to know i live alone.
ill have a beer with them and chit chat but only in the front yard.


you did a good job with that one m8
 
#17 ·
rgr thank you all for the input and making me feel like i did the right thing... thou they might have been trying to be nice and get to know the people who live around them it just set off all the warning bells in my head..

Subject one...the key words that caused me to shut down and tell him to go away was "part of his relocation program"....which to me means either a half way house or has to talk to people that live near him due to the rules of his probation officer....either way i wasn't playing that game.... that and he back way the hell off as soon as i said the word K9 Unit...which as much as i love my aussie shes no police dog but she can put the fear of god into a person...(story for another time)

Subject Two....again key words that caused me to shut down was when he said he was looking to see what people do for a living to get insperation for stories?? last i checked i hear the library is a great place for that kinda of info NOT going door to door....:twak:

and last as i told my wife crooks don't steal from the hood they come to the nice places to steal where the picking are good....
 
#19 ·
Sounds a little unsettling to me Raptor725, but I'm getting old and cranky.

While walking in to a business the other day, a guy out front was trying to get people to sign some petition. He started his spiel and I said "no thank you". He replied "are you registered to vote?" to which I replied "that's none of your damn business!" Gee... I wonder if I was little too harsh? :rofl:

I'm thinking about a new sign for my front door too:

IF I DIDN'T PERSONALLY INVITE YOU HERE... GO AWAY! :mad:

I don't think that would fly with my wife though. :gah: I'm probably lucky she still lives with me.
 
#20 ·
I'd trust the aussie. I don't think you'll find a more intelligent dog. The 2 I have owned were not only intelligent, but very protective of their home and possessions (me, the wife and their cats).
 
#21 ·
I think you are reasonably suspicious which is a good thing... why would you tell a total stranger at your door your work hours and how much you earn etc only to aid in a possible burglary attempt. There are cases of construction workers and other people breaking into the house of the house the worked on etc. Also, I had one experience of a cable man asking me and my dad to leave the house so he could "work more peacefully" and guess what happened when we left him, a $300 drill was gone.

I could care less about people telling me how I am not 'trusting'... the "trusting people" are the ones who make for the easy targets, unsuspecting... criminals love these types of people.
 
#23 ·
Raptor, the situation you described has a lot of similarities with something that happened to me recently. I described it in this thread: http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbull...sive-scenarios/48162-5-30-sunday-evening.html

Bottom line: you need to either not answer your door to these strangers, or figure out a better way of getting rid of them once you open the door. And yes, your wife is too trusting.

Does your community have any "No Sales" signs that you can place near your front door?

Good job on being armed and trusting your instincts. I recommend you stay on edge regardless of what your wife thinks. You may save both your lives someday by being on edge.
 
#32 ·
Raptor, the situation you described has a lot of similarities with something that happened to me recently. I described it in this thread: http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbull...sive-scenarios/48162-5-30-sunday-evening.html
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Grady i do have to agree with you and your post i have read before this joker showed up at my door which is why i was on alert when i saw this guy...

when i did watch him walk away from a diff window he did have some kind of note book looking item in his back left pocket but it must have been a hell of a long book (new style shorts with deep pockets) but what ever it was i just didn't trust him....

and yes i trust my aussie thou i think she is a brick some days (all burte force no grace) she hasn't let me down... her best moment was while we still lived in FL, nice night hanging out with a friend in are complex by his truck, kima goes under the truck lead off and lays down. some guy pull up and gets out (mind you drink in hand) and starts chatting on a cell phone while looking around building to building looking at the numbers.. my friend and i both know he is looking for someone or an aprtment but just the fact that this a$$ was drinking and driving just pissed us off. then he finally sees us and comes over all happy and is like hey guys wheres the party at... at this point before we can respond Kima comes out from under the truck and starts making a sound i never heard this little lady make before....it more or less sounded like a hell hound demon... ears back and low stalking body and moved between me and this guy which stopped him in his tracks. :blink: the guy freezes and ask will she attack, my friend and I in total shock take a sec look at what just happen before i reach for her to hook her lease back up. all the while im telling this guy just don't move till i get her, just something about this guy she didnt' like and she only did that after i moved to a defesive stand when he started walking up to us..

well this guy stayed away and found the person he was looking for some distance away from us but my friend and i couldn't stop laughing at the fact that my little sweet fuzz ball for a moment in time souned so scary that i even was taken back..love that dog i will belive in her judge of people faster than i will trust anyones word.
 
#26 ·
A couple of months ago in my area of NJ,(don't remember exactly how long ago) a guy was shot at his front door around 6am IIRC. He was getting ready for work and doorbell rang. He answered and was shot. As far as I have learned, no one has been arrested yet. This is why I answer unexpected doorbell rings carrying. OMO. YMMV
 
#36 ·
This was actually happening last year in a real nice area of Frisco, TX. Real close to some $1/4 mil houses and up, which tells us that we are not safe anywhere anymore.

The rule in my house is the kids don't answer the door anymore, not even to look out the small windows on the side, only Mom and Dad; and I am about to change that rule to only Me and install an intercom.

I think the OP's original suspicions were fine, and I second the post to trust the Aussie, dogs can tend to have a very good judge of character.
 
#29 ·
Ker, dont think the shooters were neighbors. IIRC, they were looking for a tenant of the victim. That said, none of my new neighbors brought casseroles or cookies. LOL. Yeah, things are different here than in Texas.
 
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