Dave Edwards is an enforcement officer for Yolo County's Elder
Protection Unit. He's asking seniors to avoid opening the
door to strangers and to call his office if they get unsolicited
offers by phone.
EDWARDS: "Every spring, we get the calls from
door-to-door sales about the vacuum cleaner people . That's always
trouble. I always suggest that people don't open the
door. You've gotta re-train yourself to use your
peephole. And if you don't know who it is, just say, 'No,
thank you,' and don't even open the door."
A code inspector recently spotted a shabby, unlicensed roof
repair from the street and found out the woman who owns the home
had paid $18,000 for the repair. She's visually impaired.
Edwards says she's also the second person in recent weeks to have
been victimized by pushy salesmen offering home
repairs.