SENIORS' SAFETY

Concerned callers have been reporting people coming to doors requesting that they respond to questionnaires or be part of a survey. Savvy seniors want to check into the legitimacy of company who arrived at their door. Others question the motives of a surveyor or company.

One caller wanted to report the discomfort she felt when a surveyor tried to coerce and intimidate her into giving personal and financial information.

There is no question that you should be cautious when someone is at your door asking for personal information or opinions. Do not to allow strangers into your home. Unless you have called for a specific company to come, you can never be sure of who is at your door and why they are there.

You should never ever give personal information to a stranger. This is true on the phone or on your doorstep. Follow your instincts. If you have a bad feeling in your stomach, know that you do not need to participate. If you are interested in participating, the interviewer should allow you the time to check into the legitimacy of the company and investigate their motives.

Ask specifically for identification, company address and contact number, and even local references.

Never ever sign anything you don’t completely understand and trust. Once you respond and sign, you have no control over what is done with this information. In some cases, you may have signed a contract, or a legal document, or a survey used to support a legal document.

I spoke with Statistics Canada about its policy on surveys. The only individual surveys that are mandatory are the census and the labor force surveys. Should a Stats Can representative come to your door, ask if the survey is voluntary. Get the identification of the surveyor. With this information, you can call Stats Canada about the authenticity of the surveyor. If you find them harassing or inappropriate, you can use this information to file a complaint.

You are under no obligation to talk to anyone at your door. Simply ask them to leave and close your door. If they do not comply, you can call the police for assistance. There is little that can be done after you have given personal information or money.

Be responsible when asked for donations at your door. If you are interested in giving aq donation, check into the organization. Ask them to come back, or even better, ask where you can go to make the donation in person.

Those who have been victims of theft, frauds and cons, will be the first to tell you it’s worth the extra effort. (SPACE, ITALICS)Dawn Thomas is Seniors’ Safety coordinator for the Town and Municipality of Digby