Residents are being warned about a furnace scam that has been circulating in Williams Lake.
Local resident Pamela Locke alerted the Tribune about the scam Wednesday and said a man knocked on her door Tuesday evening, demanding to see her furnace to make sure it met energy guidelines.
“I thought ‘oh, he wants to come in my house to see what he will come back and steal later.’ He was showing me this small ID badge that anyone could make for themselves,” Locke said.
She refused the man entry into her home and slammed the door, she added.
Locke would learn later that her neighbour who lives three doors up the street had two men knock on her door who she eventually let into her home.
When the neighbour realized she had a problem she called a friend across the street to come over.
While the men sat at the dining room table with pamphlets and binders, they tried to convince the woman she needed a new furnace, but her friend asked a lot of questions and eventually the individuals left.
Both Alberta and Ontario have banned unsolicited door-to-door sales of electricity contracts, furnaces, water heaters and air conditioners.
“I think we should do the same,” Locke said. “If my neighbour had agreed to sign a contract for a new furnace she would have been paying for it a long time and would not actually own it.”
Last March the District of Mission issued a warning about a potential scam where people were going door to door claiming to be authorized by the district and seeking entry into homes to check furnaces, filters, hot water tanks and air quality.
Read more: District of Mission issues warning about potential scam
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