Dish One salesman found to be legitimate
By Ted Pennekamp
On Saturday, a young man was going door-to-door on the north side of Prairie du Chien in an effort to sell contracts for DishNetwork.
Prairie du Chien Police Department Sergeant Kyle Teynor said the department received several phone calls from concerned citizens because the man was asking for personal information.
Teynor said the man and the company he works for, were verified as legitimate on Monday morning. The company couldn’t be reached on Sunday because they are closed on Sundays.
“We identified the individuals Sunday morning. The company did not have office hours on Sundays so there was no way to verify their legitimacy until this morning,” said Teynor in a press release on Monday. They have been found to work for Dish One. And Dish One contracts with DishNetwork to provide a door to door sales service.”
Teynor said from Saturday into Sunday the police department received more than 15 calls from concerned citizens about the salesman’s activities because he was making requests for personal information and banking information.
“He was asking for credit card and debit card numbers and also for bank account and routing numbers,” said Teynor. “There is always a potential for loss with those numbers.” Teynor said in at least one instance, the salesman also collected $25 in cash for the “activation fee.”
The man had a tablet and was signing people up, but he was inconsistent with his sales pitches and process. Also adding to the police department’s suspicion was the fact that the salesman didn’t have a solicitor’s permit from the city.
“The inconsistent sales pitches and stories raised our concerns and we felt the need to warn the public of their potential illegitimacy,” Teynor said.
“This entire incident could have been avoided had they applied for a solicitation permit,” Teynor continued. “During that process our department conducts a background check to verify the company’s legitimacy and lack of fraudulent transactions. Once the permit is granted, we can then tell the concerned citizens calling that everything is verified to be legitimate. Citizens can also request to see the solicitation permit to set their mind at ease.”
Teynor said residents should always ask to see a solicitation permit, and if the salesperson doesn’t have one, the resident should call the police. A solicitation permit adds to the salesperson’s credibility, said Teynor.
Teynor said residents should never give banking information to strangers and to please check on family members or friends who may be easy victims.
In this case, however, as previously stated, the salesman was found to be legitimate.
