DETROIT – The Local 4 Defenders have learned that scam artists are posing as pest control workers and knocking on doors.
One near victim of the scheme was a Detroit woman who asked only to be identified as Bonnie.
She said she recently got a knock on her door by a man and woman who said they were from a pest control company that was taking care of a infestation in the neighborhood.
Bonnie says she let the two inside and the man went straight to her attic, telling her he was going to poke holes in the walls to get rid of bugs.
He then asked her to pay up $2,300.
So Bonnie wrote a check – but then called the bank right away to cancel it.
"Letting him upstairs in my house was my first mistake. Probably letting him into the house was the first mistake," Bonnie said.
Muhsin Muhammad I is the chairman of security for the Grandmont neighborhood and said he's keeping a close eye on keeping the real pests out: scam artists.
"I'm absolutely appalled by this kind of a situation. I received a phone call and even though she's not in my area, she's in my city," Muhammad said. "I owe it to her and all seniors to make sure we do whatever we can to stop this crime."
Police sources said similar incidents involving the fake pest control workers have been seen in Macomb and Oakland counties and other parts of Wayne County.