You may a peephole or cameras to check and see who's at your front door, but even having those advantages might not save you from a door-to-door scammer.

From home-repair scammers that show up after storms come through to phony driveway seal-coaters to fake utility workers who arrive at your front door to "help you" avoid a power outage, to fake City of Rockford Water Division employees, you never know who'll be on the other side of your front door.

Getty Images
Getty Images
loading...

How To Spot A Fake Or Imposter At Your Door Before It's Too Late

Back in November, I posted a story on this website about a senior citizen couple in Niles who fell victim to a man dressed in the reflective gear that a utility repair worker might wear. He told the couple that there had been a nearby power outage, and that he needed to be taken immediately to their fuse box to prevent the box from becoming a fire hazard.

While they showed the man downstairs to the fuse box, the phony utility worker's accomplices let themselves in upstairs and began ransacking the couple's home. The male homeowner ended up chasing them off with a shillelagh, but in many other cases, the homeowners were unaware that they'd been robbed until much later.

The mistake the Niles couple made was not checking for identification, or looking for a city (or, utility) issued vehicle.

friendly handyman making house call
Getty Images
loading...

Here In Rockford, Scammers Are Posing As Water Division Employees

Nobody wants to experience difficulty with their utilities, especially when you consider the prospect of having to do without power, water, and/or gas:

32 Stunning Google Maps Pics Show Just How Much Downtown Rockford Has Changed

Changes to downtown Rockford in a little over 10 years.

LOOK: See inside a modern day castle complete with drawbridge

More From Rockford's New Country Q98.5