A young man came to my house today and said he was from Honeywell-GE. He claimed he was in the neighborhood to replace batteries in residential security systems that were manufactured by his employer. He was carrying what appeared to be an iPad although it was inside a rather heavy duty case, similar to what I have seen before when carried by cable TV installers, telephone company employees, and others.
I was suspicious immediately but agreed to show him my alarm system control panel inside the house.
NOTE: In hindsight, that was dumb. I should never have allowed him inside the house.
Upon seeing my alarm system control panel, he immediately said “that’s a very old one” and he offered to replace it at no charge with something more modern and secure. He said the new system would not use the phone lines like the old one but would instead communicate with satellites directly. He said it had a new SIM card for use with satellites.
There were several problems with his story:
1. My control panel is not “an old one.” I installed it myself two years ago and I know intimately how it works.
2. My alarm system does not communicate with the monitoring system via telephone lines. Instead, it communicates by wireless cell phone signals. (See my earlier article at https://privacyblog.com/2014/11/06/why-you-want-a-do-it-yourself-home-security-system/. In fact, I don’t even have a telephone line connected to my house.) If he was sent by Honeywell-GE to replace control panels, I would expect him to recognize what kind of a system I presently have installed.
3. While he stated he worked for Honeywell-GE, he wanted to replace what he called the ADT control panel. When I told him it was not an ADT control panel (it has another company’s name on the front), he claimed “Honeywell-GE manufactures control panels for all the other companies.” Regardless of the label on the outside, he claimed it was manufactured by Honeywell-GE. (He may or may not have been correct on that claim but I never heard of a manufacturer sending out their own employees to replace systems sold by other companies. Manufacturers normally have their dealers and partners do the work and absorb the costs. In any case, no company should ever show up at the door unannounced. They would call first to make an appointment.)
4. He claimed the new system would communicate directly with satellite with its SIM card. Excuse me, but I am a (retired) electronics technician with 40+ years of experience in radio systems and other electronics. I know that satellite phones and other devices that communicate with satellites do not have SIM cards.
5. Now the kicker: he said he was a Honeywell-GE employee and he was wearing what looked like an employee badge. I didn’t see the badge up close but I did see the logo. I was a Honeywell employee for 23 years and carried an employee badge all that time. The logo on his badge was not a Honeywell logo. I have also seen GE employee badges hundreds of times and his was not a GE logo.
I declined to have him replace the control panel until I verified with my alarm monitoring company that they approved the change. The man said “Thank you” and left my house quickly.
OK, here’s the part you need to be aware of: a Google search shows a lot of reports of similar scams. One that caught my eye is a video of a newscast from a Miami television station at http://goo.gl/Etajqa. A Google search for alarm system scam will produce several more results.
I did call 911 and a police officer visited my home soon after to record the information. I was able to provide a description of the man and of the automobile he was driving. Unfortunately, I never got close enough to see the license plate number.
Here’s what you need to remember:
The reports online claim there are two different versions of this scam:
1. The visitor probably noted the insides of the house, looking for anything valuable that can easily be sold. He probably wanted to replace the present alarm system control panel with a new one that includes a pocket-sized remote control. The remote can enable or disable the alarm within a radius of 50 feet, possibly further, even from outside the house. Of course, he would keep the remote and not give it to the homeowner. At a later date, burglars will visit the home and disable the alarm system by using the remote while in the driveway.
2. After replacing the alarm system control panel, the person will ask the homeowner to sign a “receipt” that has a lot of legal language printed in a small font. The language states that the homeowner agrees to switch the alarm monitoring service to another company, possibly at a higher price, including a five-year non-cancelable contract.
If someone shows up at your home without a previously-arranged appointment, whether for an alarm system or for any other purpose, BE AWARE! My suggestion is to not let him in, regardless of his claims. (I wasn’t smart enough to do that.) Another method is to call his office to verify his employment and reason for visiting but never, ever call a telephone number supplied by the visitor. You might be calling his accomplice!
Categories: Scams
9 replies ›
Leave a comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Privacy Blog 
Thanks for the heads up. I never do business with anyone coming to the door. But… if someone showed up with this story I might well blurt out “We don’t have an alarm system” without thinking. Not smart.
It helps to live in a rural slum. Less appealing to burglars. Still, I now realize I need to just say “We never do business with anyone who comes to our door.” And then close said door.
LikeLike
First question: why did you not inspect the badge closely and take a photo with your ipad or iphone? and tell him that you are posting it to FB immediately so your friends can see what you are doing today. If he is not legit, he would promptly leave.
LikeLike
Do you have one of those “I have a security system in my house” warning signs in your yard, or do you think he was going to everyone’s house trying to case them? Letting them inside certainly allows them to see what nice things you may own! I’ve heard of theives just checking a neighborhood to see who is home and daytime burglaries where the door was forced open and the homeowners tied up! What is this world coming to? It’s not even safe to open your door and say “Not interested”. Used to be some people would stick a sign on their home that said No Soliciting. Never posted one and would be interested in knowing if they work.
Thank you for this post. I have shared it with friends.
LikeLike
—> Do you have one of those “I have a security system in my house” warning signs in your yard, or do you think he was going to everyone’s house trying to case them?
I do have a sign on the front of the house, next to the driveway. I suspect that is what attracted this guy to my house. I am no expert on burglaries. However, I do think that putting a sign up is a mixed bag. I don’t think a sign will slow down a professional burglar. Then again, if he is a real pro, I doubt if he will be looking at the modest homes in this working class neighborhood. A pro is more likely checking out the mansions on the other side of town.
I am more interested in scaring off the small-time hoodlums, petty thieves, drug addicts, and others that are looking for something they can quickly steal and convert into cash, such as a TV set. I think a sign out front will encourage them to look elsewhere.
LikeLike
I wanted to put up a sign on the porch that stated that all solicitors would be shot, but my wife put the kaibosh on that. I don’t even have a gun!
LikeLike
I have received a local call in the Phoenix area that is running this same scam over the phone. They are going by home purchase records because he knew how long I have owned the house.
The same claims were made and the same GE – Honeywell employee representation where made over the phone.
LikeLike
I had a young lady come to my house yesterday 4/5/16 stating she was a Honeywell rep who was supposed to replace my keypad for FREE. She had a lanyard with a name tag hanging low, that I really couldn’t see. I told her that I needed to call my security company and she quickly stated that she represents Honeywell and not the security company. She only had a brochure with different pictures of keypads. She knew my name and she was pulling at the glass door and fast talking about the system being old. I felt uneasy and told her no thanks. She fast talked some more until I said NO. She said OK I can put you down as declined?. She had no pad or paper and herror phone range as she walked away. She was laughing with the caller and I saw another girl come up to meet her.
I called my security company and they knew nothing about this FREEM DEAL. I could not reach Honeywell but I will today.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing your experience. We should never let a stranger come in our house unless we expect that person to visit. Remember that he’s fiddling your security unit, so what’s the use when it gets hacked? Lesson learned.
LikeLike
I had exactly the same thing happen to me today. A pleasant man knocked loudly and insistently at my door. Said he was from Honeywell and was there to update my ADT system.I did not let him in my house thank god. ADT confirmed that they had not sent anyone so i did report to the police.. i wish I’d thought to get a car or license plate.. Totally creepy.
LikeLike