New ploy being used by home invaders:
“Oliver Litzelman, 82, of 3872 Route 414, was murdered by an unknown person police described as a “skinny white woman” Sept. 13, after he and his wife Edwina, 81, opened the door to the stranger who said she was a Litzelman descendant doing genealogical research into the family tree.
Edwina ended up in the hospital with stab wounds and Oliver was shot to death.
Edwina Litzelman was released from the hospital late last month, but no further information is available about her condition or whereabouts.”
As you said: DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!
“...opened the door to the stranger who said she was a Litzelman descendant doing genealogical research into the family tree.”
There is a psychological element in deciding whether to open a door or not or whether to go with a gut feeling or not - like moving away from someone you get that “hair standing up on my neck” feeling about.
This phenomenon is YOU DON’T WANT TO EMBARASS YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON’S EYES. When you give in to that, YOU OPEN THE DOOR, YOU STAY AROUND A DANGEROUS PERSON, etc.. In either case, you may end up dead - just because you didn’t want to be embarrassed. Always take the safe route when you feel unsafe. Embarrassed is not nearly as bad as being dead.
What happens if you don’t open your door? You are safe.
What happens if it was the termite man you forgot you called and you didn’t open the door? You are safe.
What happens if it was your aunt from Omaha and she had laryngitis and couldn’t talk to tell you who she was? You are safe.
What could happen if you open the door and it couldn’t happen if you hadn’t opened the door? You are dead.
The conclusion is - don’t open the door and you are safe. Open the door, and bad things could happen.
People in my area a short while ago were warned not to open the door unless we were absolutely sure the man on the other side of the door is actually a city worker. The advice from the city and police was, DON’T OPEN THE DOOR - call the city and ask if a city worker was coming to your house.
Two men were following a senior home from a shopping center. After the senior was in the house, one of the men would ring the bell and appear to be a city worker who said he needed to see the back yard as the city was removing dead trees or sick trees. The senior would take the “city worker” to the backyard - then the other man would come in the house and grab certain items, then go back to the car and wait on the other man to get back.
They stole sterling silver and gold jewelry from these houses. The senior wouldn’t recognize anything was gone until later.
Just don’t open the door, OK?