Be careful when people come to your door asking for money.
My wife and I had an incident a few days ago when a rather scruffy guy came to our door after 9 p.m. asking for donations, saying he was doing so on behalf of a national charity.
This marked the second time people have come to our door asking for money, saying they were doing so on behalf of that organization.
Furthermore, a friend of ours has also had a different, but also rather demanding person come to the door, also at around 9 p.m., making the same request and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
"I had to get quite rude," she said. "(He) went on to say 'your neighbours have, why can't you?' I was afraid he was going to get past me and come right in."
We wondered if these people were a) trying to obtain money for drugs or alcohol or b) looking for an opportunity to case the joint for possible stuff to steal later on.
In 2010, concerns were raised after some people in Muskoka, Ont. were alleged to have fraudulently canvassed for money for Haiti, claiming to be doing so on behalf of this particular charity.
I asked Olds RCMP Staff Sgt. Jim MacDonald, the detachment's commanding officer, if the detachment has received any reports of people being concerned about door-to-door scams.
He said they haven't, but after being alerted to our concerns, he phoned the organization in question.
MacDonald said officials there confirmed they do have a door-to-door campaign underway in Canada right now. Solicitors are not volunteers. They're employed on their behalf through other agencies.
"They will ask for sponsorships for children in need or if people can make monthly donation. They do not ever ask for cash donations," he wrote in an email.
"Solicitors can be identified by ... name badges and identification worn on their person and they should be carrying booklets and other laminated sponsorship material," he added.
"Based on the information you provided they feel the solicitation was likely valid but they will be doing their own follow-up on the concerns you mentioned," MacDonald wrote. "Again, if it was a request for a one-time cash donation then the solicitation is likely a scam."
All this highlights the need for you to be very careful when people come to your door asking for money. You have every right to refuse to provide money and to demand ID if you're suspicious. Also don't be afraid to contact RCMP with your suspicions.
If you're concerned about the legitimacy of someone who comes to your door asking for donations on behalf of a charity, you can also contact their headquarters.
