Magazine Subscription Salesmen.

[Scrapheap]

 I heard an interesting bit on http://www.kroq.com/ this morning.

Apparently, those door-to-door magazine salesmen are'nt always on the up and up. Now, the local ones who do it for local charities tend to be OK, but the ones who are from out of town, travel the country staying in one city for only a few weeks then moving on. THOSE are the ones to watch out for.
 The scam is this. The salesmen are the victims of this scam. Often, (but not always) the magazines subscriptions they sell are real, but che commisions they make, only cover thier "expenses". The salesmen are only given $15 to $20 a day, AND they have to "pay" for thier hotel and other expenses, so they never get out of "debt" to the company. Esentially, they're indentured servants.

The advice offered on the radio was: If one of these people comes to your door, offer to help the person by calling 911 to get the police involved and offer to let them call thier parents to help them get out of the situation.

What do you guys think?? ?? ??

[Callaway]

I had some child door to door sales people where I very nearly called the police for them.  When I would not let them come in to sell me stuff, they asked to come inside to use my bathroom and then they asked to use my phone to call their manager to come and get them and she refused to do it until they sold more stuff.  It was freezing cold outside and I hated to send them back outside in that kind of weather, but I did not want to be scammed into buying junk for a high price just because I felt sorry for the kids.  Finally the manager decided to come and get them after all, but even now I wonder if it was all just an act and part of the scam.

[McGiver]

i had one tell me that they were close to winning a trip to the bahamas.

but isn't that the place where people die?

[duncvis]

you're thinking of the bermuda triangle, I think.

[McGiver]

that girl who was on her HS senior prom.
anna nichole and her son.

[duncvis]

meh.

[Callaway]

Anna Nicole Smith died in Florida, not in the Bahamas, although her son did die there.  Natalee Holloway was on Aruba, which is not a part of the Bahamas, when she disappeared.

[McGiver]

so people die in tropical places?

[El]

so people die in tropical places?

People die in every climate.

[McGiver]

so people die in tropical places?

People die in every climate.

really!

this is news to me.  i always thought that they sent old people off to florida to die.

[Scrapheap]

so people die in tropical places?

People die in every climate.

really!

this is news to me.  i always thought that they sent old people off to florida to die.

They do the same thing in Arizona.

anyways, getting back on subject here, what do people think about the pros ans cons of helping one of these people out ?? ?? ??

[Scrapheap]

I take it this subject bores people. 

[Callaway]

Whatever line the salesman feeds you, you have to consider it is possibly part of the scam to make you feel sorry for them and buy what they are selling.

You could offer to call 911 for them, but that will probably only make them leave.  I did let the little girls use my telephone, but they only called their manager.

[Pyraxis]

I wouldn't suggest calling 911 unless you know their situation personally. That involves getting to know them one on one. Inviting them in, talking to them in depth. Otherwise you're too vulnerable to it all being part of the scam.

[El]

I'm still confused as to how they get people to agree to this and how people don't know how to get out of it.  hence why I've said nothing; I feel dumb.  The link doesn't work, though (till now I was too lazy to click it); maybe if I could find what you read I'd get it.