Monday afternoon marked the second incident in nearly two weeks where a man claimed to be a repairman in an attempt to gain access to area homes, said Shawn Vaughn, Texarkana, Texas, police spokesman.
Vaughn said Monday evening that a man wearing a Vivint Home Security polo shirt tried to get occupants of a residence on Magnolia Street to let him inside of their home.
"When they questioned him, he refused to identify himself, other than to say that he was from Vivint and pointed to the Vivint signs in the front yard (since) they actually have a Vivint security system," Vaughn said. "Even though he wouldn't say what kind of work needed to be done, he continued to try to get them to let him in.
"When it became clear to him that was not going to happen, he left going toward State Line Avenue on foot."
Residents were very suspicious by then, Vaughn said. After contacting the home security company, they were told that there had not been a service call to their home.
"You don't ever have to let anyone into your home, even those that show up looking like official representatives of a company of whom you might actually be a customer," Vaughn said. "Don't automatically take their word that they are who they say they are, especially if you had not made an appointment with the company for someone to come out."
On the evening of Thursday, April 21, a man showed up to an elderly woman's home on Maplecrest Street-about 5 miles northwest of Magnolia Street-and managed to convince her to let him inside to "check the alarm."
"Nothing was reported as missing but he reportedly made a comment as he was leaving that she already had an alarm and noted that he'd seen a nice wedding ring set there," Vaughn said. "He left walking on foot."
Police are unsure if he is the same man who claimed to represent Vivint security systems earlier this week, but they know he was not wearing a company uniform, driving a company vehicle or flashing any credentials.
Vaughn said there was a possibility that one or both of the men were legitimate, but that it was unlikely because of their strange behavior. Many news stories show people approaching homeowners claiming to be alarm company repair people, he added.
"They essentially trick a homeowner who already has an alarm into letting them inside the house. Once there, they are trying to find about what kind of alarm they installed and, presumably, if they can defeat it."
People should be careful about who they let into their homes as a general rule, Vaughn said.
"All legitimate service people will have some sort of company identification and will be more than happy to show it to you if you ask," Vaughn said. "If they don't or you suspect that (identification) might be fake, don't let them into your home. Keep your door locked and tell them that you are going to call the company to verify their identity. If they become insistent to let them in or make you uncomfortable, call us immediately to come check them out.
"When in doubt, keep them out."