Salesman At Your Door May Be Burglar: Gwinnett Police

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — The Gwinnett County police Department is warning residents to be on the lookout for burglars posing as door-to-door salesmen. They're urging everyone to call them if they spot a door-to-door solicitor who lacks a proper, county-issued ID.

In a statement Monday, the police said that in a recent trend, burglars "often approach a target home and ring the doorbell. If no one answers, the burglar goes to the back door and knocks there also.

"If no one answers again, the burglar forces entry through the back door and burglarizes the residence," the police said. This scheme requires "having an excuse for ringing the doorbell in the first place."

If a resident answers the front door, the burglar will pose "as a door-to-door salesman and offer some product or service the resident is unlikely to want."

To prevent this, the police urge residents to be aware of county ordinances that require door-to-door solicitors or canvassers to get permits. Each solicitor must wear a Gwinnett ID in a prominent place (see example above).

"Residents should be suspicious of any adult soliciting or canvassing without this ID card and are encouraged to call police," the statement added.

There are exemptions, such as for children under 15 who are soliciting door-to-door for a non-profit group, such as a school fundraiser.

For a full list of rules and exemptions regarding door-to-door soliciting in Gwinnett County, please click here.

Burglary After Canvassing?

In a one case, Gwinnett police detectives are investigating an Oct. 18 burglary at a home in the Normandy Ridge neighborhood on the outskirts of Lawrenceville.

Images from a security camera at the victim's home show an unidentified individual trying to enter the back door, the police said.

Another video from the neighborhood, taken about a week prior to the burglary, "shows canvassers approaching a house without appropriate ID." the police said in the statement.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact GCPD burglary detectives at 770-513-5300.