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Bryan police are warning residents about a possible scam artist going door to door claiming he was sent by the police department to install free security systems, but authorities believe he may be marking the houses to burglarize.
On Saturday, a man claiming to work for Pinnacle Security approached several residents of The Oaks neighborhood and offered to put the system in their house if the residents would put a Pinnacle Security sign in their yard, police said. The signs might be placed in the yards to signal to thieves working with the man where they should return and steal, police said.
Police said they received at least one more call Monday from another resident who had been approached by the man. The caller said she believed that the offer was valid and allowed the man inside her house, officers said.
Pinnacle Security is listed as a reliable and accredited company on the Better Business Bureau national Web site but does not have a local listed phone number. Its Web site, www.pinnaclesecurity.net, has a verification page where customers can confirm a 5-digit representative identification number to make sure that a person works for the company. Authorities said they're certain the man reported locally does not work for the company.
Attempts to reach officials at Pinnacle were not successful.
As of Monday, police had not been able to find the man. Residents have described him to police as a Hispanic male in his late 20s, about 6 feet tall with a medium build and wearing a blue or gray uniform with the name Pinnacle Security.
Bryan police stressed that they do not recommend or refer businesses to residents, so they have not asked Pinnacle Security to approach residents.
Larry Lightfoot, local Better Business Bureau chapter president, said that people should not let strangers into their homes and always be suspicious of unusual free offers.
"People are interested in anything that is free," Lightfoot said.
Residents of The Oaks received a scare earlier this year when two women were murdered in separate incidents on Oak Hollow Drive; however, police said they do not believe the scam is preying on the fears borne from those crimes.
Lightfoot said that, at any given time, there are dozens of scams designed to steal from unsuspecting residents.
During the holidays, door-to-door solicitations for donations are common, he said. Then in January, identity thefts increase, he said.
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," he said.
• Matthew Watkins' e-mail address is matthew.watkins@theeagle.com.
