MONROE - As spring weather approaches, Green County will likely see an uptick in door-to-door solicitors - and possible scams.
Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff said door-to-door scams are uncommon but not unheard of in Green County.
Last year, he said, saw a case where solicitors offered to surface residents' driveways with "leftover blacktop" for $1,000 - but would increase the bill afterwards, hiding the fact that the recycled asphalt was crumbling and shoddy.
Another incident in August involved a man who would sell an alleged wireless camera system to residents for more than $1,000 but would only actually give buyers a cheap wired camera system worth less than $100. The man was eventually arrested but only after he defrauded nine victims for more than $11,000, Rohloff said.
At a meeting of the county board on Feb. 14, the board amended the county's ordinance dealing with nonresident solicitors. Rohloff said the amended ordinance will simplify the process for issuing citations to unauthorized solicitors, allowing law enforcement to issue citations instead of dealing with county officials.
Monroe police chief Fred Kelley said solicitors need to obtain peddlers' permits from the county to operate here.
"They're not the most popular people - they're like telemarketers - so a lot of the time people will call us about solicitors," Kelley said. "They almost always have a permit."
However, Kelley and Rohloff encouraged residents to call police if a solicitor seems suspicious.
"Our residents appreciate good laws," Rohloff said. "I don't know whether the ordinance will prevent scams like this from happening, but it will allow us to deal with them faster."
Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff said door-to-door scams are uncommon but not unheard of in Green County.
Last year, he said, saw a case where solicitors offered to surface residents' driveways with "leftover blacktop" for $1,000 - but would increase the bill afterwards, hiding the fact that the recycled asphalt was crumbling and shoddy.
Another incident in August involved a man who would sell an alleged wireless camera system to residents for more than $1,000 but would only actually give buyers a cheap wired camera system worth less than $100. The man was eventually arrested but only after he defrauded nine victims for more than $11,000, Rohloff said.
At a meeting of the county board on Feb. 14, the board amended the county's ordinance dealing with nonresident solicitors. Rohloff said the amended ordinance will simplify the process for issuing citations to unauthorized solicitors, allowing law enforcement to issue citations instead of dealing with county officials.
Monroe police chief Fred Kelley said solicitors need to obtain peddlers' permits from the county to operate here.
"They're not the most popular people - they're like telemarketers - so a lot of the time people will call us about solicitors," Kelley said. "They almost always have a permit."
However, Kelley and Rohloff encouraged residents to call police if a solicitor seems suspicious.
"Our residents appreciate good laws," Rohloff said. "I don't know whether the ordinance will prevent scams like this from happening, but it will allow us to deal with them faster."