Ask Liz Weston

photo credit: EmilianT

One of the few disadvantages of working from home is that I meet more than my share of door-to-door salespeople—typically people hawking overpriced magazine subscriptions or books.

Rather than blow them off, lately I’ve been listening to their raps to see how they try to rope in unsuspecting marks. Here are the five lies they tend to have in common, and three sure-fire ways to make them go away.

Lie #1: “I’m from around here.” The salespeople might claim to be the child of a neighbor or to attend a nearby school or college. In reality, they’re often from another state and were dumped off in your neighborhood with a mini-van-load of other sellers. They understand that it would be tough to start a relationship by saying, “I’m an outsider trying to hustle up some business.”

Lie #2: “I’m really close to winning a prize.” They probably do have a sales quota to meet to keep their jobs, but what they’ll tell you is that they’re earning “points” toward a trip or a scholarship or some other goal and they just need a little help from you to get to the prize. Since he’s a neighbor, you’ll feel an obligation to help, right? Especially since:

Lie #3: “Your neighbors have really been generous.” The wording on this may vary, but the obvious implication is that people you know are handing over their cash, so you should, too.

Lie #4: “This is a good deal” or “It’s for a good cause.” Except it’s not. You can get most magazine subscriptions for $10 or less online and books for $10 to $20. The salesperson is charging three to four times that amount. And this assumes that you, or the charity to which you’re donating the items (another version of this rap), actually get what you paid for. Since these guys only accept checks or cash, you can’t use a credit card to cancel the deal if he simply disappears with your money.

Lie #5: “You have to act today.” It’s the salesperson’s job to create some kind of pressure that will get you to buy, and your job to resist it until you’re sure you’re getting a good deal. If you aren’t given time to research the product or the company, then steer clear.

Some ways to head door-to-door salespeople off at the pass:

Don’t answer the door. You shouldn’t be opening the door to strangers, particularly if you’re home alone.

Answer the door with a phone in your hand. Pretend to be having a conversation. Each time he gets his rap going, start talking into the phone. “Well, that’s what I said, but she wouldn’t listen….” Keep up your end of the bogus conversation until the salesperson gives up and goes away. If he or she is particularly tenacious, you may have to finally say, “I’m sorry, I have to finish this call” and close the door.

Blame your spouse, even if you don’t have one. Let’s say the salesperson catches you when you’re already outside and you don’t have your phone with you. Cite marital responsibility. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t make any decision without

Some good news and bad news about identity theft.

First the bad: In 2008, the number of identity theft victims surged 22 percent to 9.9 million over the previous year, says a study released this week by Javelin Strategy & Research. That reverses a previous trend in which identity theft had been gradually declining.

But the good news is that the cost to consumers fell 31 percent to $496. Victims and companies are able to detect the fraud more quickly and are limiting how much is stolen, Javelin says.

It comes as no shocker that the report lists the failing economy as a primary reason for the spike in identity theft. (“Overall criminal activity tends to increase when there is a recession,” Javelin says.)

But what might surprise some is that despite all of the news about hacking attacks and phishing, low-tech methods are still favored among thieves. Lost or stolen wallets represented 43% of all incidents, the report said. That compares with 19% of thefts that occurred during a transaction; 13% of thefts committed by friends, family or employees; 11% online theft; 11% data breach; 3% stolen paper mail.

Other findings:

• Women were 26% more likely to be victims of fraud than men in 2008

• 71% of the fraud started occurring less than a week from when the data was first stolen, up from 33% in 2005

• The total annual fraud amount for 2008 is up 7% from last year to $48 billion. That is substantially lower when compared to the 2004 level of $60 billion

Hear me discuss tips for stopping identity theft cold by CLICKING HERE.

Also, check out my other advice on ID theft:

• How can I freeze my credit?

• What should I do if my sister is an identity thief?

• Do dead people have to worry about ID theft?

• Dangerous checks in the mail

• The hysteria over identity theft

• Banks hang fraud victims high and dry

More alerts than ever