Bloke knocks on door and offers to etch my windows... Dodgy?

[Tic tac]

Bloke knocks the door this morning.
"Is that your transporter,sir.nice isn't it"
Then goes on about how van theft is rife atm..and how easy they are to steal.
Wanted to etch my VIN number into the glass and lights for £40.
Rough looking chap..drove a white transporter.

 

[david173]

Sounds dodgy as hell to me.
Should have made up some story about how your not so happy about it due to huge mechanical faults it is currently undriveable

 

[Tic tac]

Certainly wasn't giving him access to the van.
Could be scouting for what security devices I may or may not have fitted.

 

[Dellmassive]

did he offer to Tarmac your drive too?

get a Ring Doorbell camera and stick it in front of your van.

 

[Jlo]

Lots of reports of 2 blokes around here knocking on peoples houses asking about campervans and motorhomes.

 

[Dave A]

Etching numbers was the big thing about 35 years ago but it didn't stop the vehicle being stolen and broken up for parts or the glass/ lights being replaced. I've executed plenty of search warrants for car parts and can say that etching was never a deterrent.

 

[Tic tac]

did he offer to Tarmac your drive too?

get a Ring Doorbell camera and stick it in front of your van.

No,but certainly not a local.

 

[DaveD]

Etching numbers was the big thing about 35 years ago but it didn't stop the vehicle being stolen and broken up for parts or the glass/ lights being replaced. I've executed plenty of search warrants for car parts and can say that etching was never a deterrent.

Yes, me too, totally agree.

 

[Gavinda]

Takes keys to open van, etches windows, copies key, breaks into/steals van at a later date. Heard about this round your way, ask @Gazbadge he told me about it.

 

[Tic tac]

Accent from around @Gazbadge area,aswell

 

[DaveD]

Bloke knocks the door this morning.
"Is that your transporter,sir.nice isn't it"
Then goes on about how van theft is rife atm..and how easy they are to steal.
Wanted to etch my VIN number into the glass and lights for £40.
Rough looking chap..drove a white transporter.

The biggest risk with his sort is if nobody answers the door.
If he gets no reply it's open season. As a Detective I used to visit prisoners to interview them in jail about other crimes. Burglars told me the easiest way to find out if you're in is to knock the door, if you answer they've got a cover story (window etching?) and if you don't it's game on, the keys are most likely in there waiting to be picked up.
I don't say this to worry people but look, you're already suspicious of him, always trust your instincts, these wasters prey on the unwary.
I've had his sort knock on my door offering to tarmac my drive / trim my trees etc, my wife cringes at how I speak to them, to be fair it would be criminal if it was in a public place!

 

[Gazbadge]

@Tic tac It was only a few weeks ago As @Gavinda said, rough looking fella, offering etching, a couple of people went for it then a week later both cars gone. I'll see if I can find the CCTV footage showing him, might be the same guy moving around. He needs a baseball bat....sorry officer, I mean large inoffensive mag lite.... on the back of the head.

 

[DXX]

Did you check if his van had etched windows, if it didn’t there’s definitely something amiss.
Who in their right mind would give a complete stranger their keys to anything!

 

[cgtmiles]

I bet these guys are looking forward to the end of lockdown and loads of empty houses to prey on again. I haven’t had this sort of call for ages but good to have a reminder that not everyone has moved on to scam emails and card skimming.

 

[Gazbadge]

Not sure if I'm allowed to do this or not, moderators, please remove if you feel it's inappropriate.
This was the guy who offered his etching and key cloning services near where I live. Two people who had him do it both had their cars stolen shortly after. Bad egg!!

 

[DaveD]

Not sure if I'm allowed to do this or not, moderators, please remove if you feel it's inappropriate.
This was the guy who offered his etching and key cloning services near where I live. Two people who had him do it both had their cars stolen shortly after. Bad egg!!

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Sad that people are so trusting of strangers!

 

[Gazbadge]

Sad that people are so trusting of strangers!

To be honest with you I could rant on about it all day Dave. There's so many people nowadays that don't deserve the air they breath. They pray on innocent hard working people who then get told their stupid for trusting them, which sadly to a point I agree with but then I think, why shouldn't we be able to trust people, you aren't the bad guy for having a bit of faith but unfortunately good faith gets abused by these f***ers. It seems genuine guys (and girls) are getting thin on the ground these days and I find it really sad.

 

[Tic tac]

Cheers @Gazbadge

Can't be sure,but very similar
Same age,same build....

Top photo doesn't look like him,but the bottom one does(minus the tash)
Got any more pics?

 

[VanDamMan]

Bring back Shaw Taylor..”keep em Peeled” ....I’m all for name and shame....if you didn’t name how would we know who to trust

 

[Niknak]

Not sure if I'm allowed to do this or not, moderators, please remove if you feel it's inappropriate.
This was the guy who offered his etching and key cloning services near where I live. Two people who had him do it both had their cars stolen shortly after. Bad egg!!

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Did he like dags